The Blind Tiger Speakeasy
by Heart Sandwich
Summary: Jaune is expelled from Beacon due to his faked transcripts. But before he leaves, Ozpin gives him an opportunity to grow stronger with the help of some of his old associates. What seemed to be a simple offer turned into a complex one as Jaune is thrusted into a world of crime, violence, and most importantly; liquor.
1. Episode 1: Muzzle Flash in the Night

**THE BLIND TIGER SPEAKESY:**

 _Episode 1: Muzzle Flash in the Night_

Jaune sat nervously in a chair that Headmaster Ozpin had so graciously allowed him to sit in. He swallowed and looked up at Ozpin, who was currently standing by the window of his large clock-tower like office.

"Mr. Arc. Do you know why you are here right now?" Ozpin asked as he turned to face the blonde boy. Jaune shook his head.

"It's because if your transcripts. Glynda and I have found out, from your parents no less, that they are fake. You lied your way into my academy Jaune. Do you know how many laws you broke by doing this?" Ozpin asked as he stared at the blonde boy in front of him. Ozpin observed the boy's fear, his shame, his loathing of himself. After all he had done with his team, now was the time for him to give it all up? Jaune looked at Ozpin, his eyes tearing up.

"Y-yes sir. I know." Jaune uttered.

"And you do know the consequences, do you not?" Jaune nodded.

"Expulsion and imprisonment…" Jaune said as he rubbed his temples and fought back tears. Ozpin nodded.

"Yes. That is exactly what happens when you do these things. In normal academies anyway." Ozpin said as he turned back around towards the large window, his gaze roaming over the entirety of Beacon Academy, and all of it's ill-gotten glory.

"Jaune. You have shown so much improvement, so much talent, and above average leadership skills. I would be a fool to expel you from this Academy. We need people like you, who we can mold into the hunters and huntresses of tomorrow, those who will lead their teams into battle with honor and the will to overcome even the worst of odds. You are a shining example of this. You may not have the most combat skill, or the greatest intelligence, but what you do have… is heart. That is the one thing that sets you apart from many of the students here at Beacon. Which is why I am offering you a proposition." Ozpin said as he turned back towards Jaune and walked towards his desk. Ozpin pulled back his chair and sat down. He pulled out a file and slid it over to Jaune.

"I'm giving you the opportunity to truly become great, Jaune. In this folder, I have a list of… associates. They can and WILL help you. Here." Ozpin reached into the front pocket of his suit and pulled out a small checker shaped chip, with the letters "BL" painted elegantly on the front of it.

"Go to the address I have provided in the envelope in that file there." Ozpin said, placing the chip in front of Jaune, who picked it up immediately. Jaune looked at Ozpin in confusion.

"So what does this mean?" Jaune asked Ozpin. The experienced hunter smiled a faint smile, and began to speak.

"It means that while you are still expelled, it is unofficial if you decide to follow up on the offer I have given you. It will be official however if you do not show up to the designated area within 24 hours, or in the case you decide to return to your family." Ozpin said as he leaned forward.

"Jaune, the Arc family is well known for their strength and cunning. These people I have set you up with have as much experience as I, maybe even more. They can teach you how to be better than you are. They can teach you to be strong." Ozpin said. Jaune looked down at the chip in his hand, and then at the file. He grabbed the file and put the chip in his pocket.

"Remember. The only person holding you back, is you." Ozpin warned before standing up again.

"The choice is yours, Jaune. Go on and tell your team, and pack your things." Jaune nodded and stood up from the sit he was situated and walked towards the elevator in Ozpin's office. Jaune stepped into the elevator and looked at Ozpin one last time before the doors closed on him, leaving him alone to his thoughts.

Those thoughts didn't last for long however, because as soon as the doors to the elevator opened again, and Jaune stepped out into the hallway, he was swarmed by Ruby and Nora.

"JAUNE JAUNE! WHAT HAPPENED WHY DID YOU GET CALLED TO THE OFFICE!?" Ruby screamed at Jaune. Jaune opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by an equally as worried and loud Nora Valkyrie.

"JAUNEY JAUNEY! WHAT HAPPENED WHY DID YOU GET CALLED TO THE EVIL CORPORATE MAN'S OFFICE!?" Jaune simply stared at Nora in confusion before looking to Ruby, then to the rest of his friends. Ren, Pyrrha, Yang, (Not) Blake, and (Not) Weiss. He gulped and shifted nervously. He had to tell them. He couldn't just disappear.

"I uhh… I got expelled." Jaune managed to choke out as he looked towards the ground.

"What? Why?" Yang asked. Everyone besides Jaune nodded in agreement with Yang's question. Jaune looked up at them.

"I… I…" Jaune choked as the words would not leave his throat. Weiss scoffed and narrowed her eyes.

"Why Jaune?" She asked.

"I cheated into Beacon… my transcripts were faked." Jaune said. Everyone except Pyrrha, who had already knew, looked at Jaune with wide eyes.

"Jaune how… how could you?" Ruby asked as she backed away from him. He could hear the hurt in her voice. Jaune grimaced.

"I wanted to come her and prove that I could be like my parents, that I could be strong… that I could help people."

"Why the hell didn't you just enter into Beacon normally then? If you wanted to do this so badly, why even fake it? Why do something so criminal?" Yang asked, her fists clenched. Jaune kept his gaze to the floor. He couldn't even look at his own teammates in fear of how they were looking at him right now.

"I'm not like any of you, I don't have skill or natural talents. There was no way I would make it into Beacon, or any other Academy." Jaune said, hoping to get them to see his reasoning. Unfortunately, they did not.

"That doesn't give you an excuse for lying!" Ruby yelled, tears flowing from her eyes.

"Jaune, I trusted you! I thought you were a student. A REAL student. Someone who had passed the tests to get in! An honest person! I liked you Jaune! How could you just… how could you lie?" Ruby cried. Jaune held back his own tears as he cursed himself to hell for betraying their trust. He couldn't do this. Jaune walked away from them. Ignoring their words and screams, he ran. Just like he did when he left home. He ran and never looked back.

 **|S·P·E·A·K—E·A·S·Y|**

"It's been quite the slow day, Carol. I'm starting to wonder if our already dying group of loyal patrons are starting to… well… die. That's the only thing that keeps the money from flowing in this place. The fact that people die around here. Maybe we should move areas?" A cat faunus man, dressed in a white dress shirt, black slacks, with overalls said to a woman sitting at a table across from the bar. The woman was wearing a white dress with a cloche hat on. She had short blonde hair, and wore a diamond necklace.

"I'm afraid moving is out of the picture, Jonathan. We already have enough debts. We don't need more by attempting to open a new establishment." Carol said to Jonathan. He sighed and leaned against the bar before grabbing a glass and rummaging through a cabinet.

"What are you doing sweetie?" Carol asked as she sees Jonathan pull out a bottle of whiskey.

"Well. There is one thing I know about us, about all of this. It's that it's all temporary, bound to lost at any moment, drifting away like a breeze blowing through Vacuo, things end yet they begin at the same time. All this pondering over reoccurring occurrences has gotten me down, my thoughts are as stable as our current state of affairs. So, what better way to raise my spirits than with spirits?" Jonathan said as he hopped over the bar to the other side. He slid over to the table Carol was sitting at and put a glass near her before taking a seat with his own glass. He poured her some whiskey, and then poured himself some.

"I think we both deserve some time to relax, some time to just… enjoy ourselves and drown out the world in a bitter yet familiar taste. Don't you?" Jonathan said as he sipped his whiskey and let out a refreshed sigh. Carol giggled before taking a sip of her whiskey. Jonathan's ears perked up when he heard the back door of the pub open. He glanced in the direction of the door and saw a man wearing a fedora a brown overcoat, dark green combat pants that were tucked into dirty black combat boots come in and shake off his umbrella before setting it next to the door and closing it. The man, a tall 6'7 brute with a grizzly beard and a nasty look in his dark blue eyes glanced towards Jonathan and nodded.

"Hey Carol, Garrold has finally decided to come to work today!" Jonathan said as he smiled brightly and went over to Garrold. Garrold glared at the man before walking past him and over to Carol.

"Carol, vhat is this idiot doing here so late? It is 2 hours past closing time." Garrold asked in a thick accent to the woman who was currently enjoying her whiskey. She put her cup down and cleared her throat.

"He insisted on staying here because today we get a new employee." Garrold raised an eyebrow.

"Vhat new employee? Vhy was I not notified?" Garrold growled.

"It was last minute, Garrold. We were contacted by a very special associate who I personally haven't spoken to for a decade. I was shocked, really." Carol said before looking over to Jonathan, who was standing next to Garrold with a smile on his face.

"Jonathan, would you be a dear and go grab me some ice?" Jonathan smiled and nodded and went to go complete his task. Once he was gone, Garrold spoke up.

"Vas this… "associate" Ozpin by any chance?" Garrold asked folding his arms. Carol winced.

"Yes. BUT. Before you decide to go on a murderous rampage to find the poor man, at least hear me out." Carol pleaded when she saw a familiar murderous gleam in the man's eyes.

"Fine. But if I do not like vhat you tell me, I vill go and eh… kill Ozpin. Wring his neck, give him some much deserved shut-eye." Carol let out a sigh of relief. Not at the fact that Garrold could murder Ozpin at any moment for little to no reason, but the fact that he listened to her for once.

"He sent us a student. And not just any student, an Arc." Garrold lifted an eyebrow.

"An Arc, eh? Could he be torpedo maybe?" Carol deadpanned.

"You are our body guard Garrold. So is Saint, Hannah, Ibril, and that upstage murderous fellow. What was his name?"

"You mean Quinton?" Jonathan said as he sat down in his seat and put a bucket of ice on the table.

"Yes, sweetie. I mean Quinton." Garrold grimaced.

"That is no good. Quinton is coming tonight, we cannot have a new man showing up, he vill—" Garrold froze.

"I will what?" Everyone turned and saw a male cat faunus sporting a homburg hat, black rimmed spectacles, white cloth gloves, a black suit jacket with khaki slacks that were tucked into his boots which almost ran up to his knees, and a utility belt with various ammo clips hanging from it.

"You'll probably end up lulling him to sleep with that wack-talk of yours old buddy." Jonathan said as he smiled at Quinton. Quinton frowned.

"First off, I am not your buddy, compadre, friend, old man, old fruit, confidant, or acquaintance. I am a business partner of Hannah's. And who is the person I'll be "lulling to sleep with my wack-talk"?" Quinton said as he glared at a still-smiling Jonathan.

"He's our new associate. His name is—"

"Wait. New associate? You mean this buffoon?" Quinton pointed behind him, and sure enough, there was a soaking wet blonde in a Pumpkin Pete hoodie and torn blue jeans. Carol looked the boy up and down. Tall, blonde and scraggly. Just like Ozpin had described.

"Are you Jaune Arc by any chance?" The boy perked up.

"So this is the Blind Tiger right?" Jaune askes. Carol smiles and nods.

"It's him, Quinton. Though I have to say. I was expecting more… blonde and scraggly." Jaune frowned and looked away.

"Uhh… sorry I couldn't be more scraggly? And blonde?" Jaune said nervously, causing both Garrold and Quinton to frown and sigh.

"Ve have a lot of vork to do vith this one, Quinton." Garrold says as he eyes Jaune up and down.

"Agreed. Well then, Mr. Arc. Let us go. Your first bout of training begins today. As soon as Garrold gets his car ready. And _other_ things." Quinton says and gives Garrold a look Jaune could not describe. And as if words had been spoken between them just then, Garrold nods and walks away. Jaune looks at Quinton.

"Follow me." He says simply before walking towards the back door of the bar. Jaune quickly follows after the faunus, catching sight of Carol and the strange man talking to her smiling and waving. Jaune exits the building with Quinton and sees Garrold putting weapons in the trunk of a black car. Three rifles, all of them choppers. Jaune gulps.

"W-what's my training going to be?" Jaune asks Quinton. The mysterious cat glares at Jaune from the corner of his eyes as he approached the car.

"There are some… less than reputable hoods who have been making business here at the Blind Tiger more difficult than usual. We of course, are going there to clean them up a bit. Their belligerence has been duly noted, thus our need to prepare certain "items" for our little… meeting." Quinton says before opening up the front car door and getting in on the passenger side. Jaune gets in the back, while Garrold takes the wheel.

"What does belligerence mean?" Jaune asked after a while when he realized none of what Quinton had said after that made any sense without proper context of words. Quinton let out an angry sigh. He turns to look at Jaune in the back seat.

"Can you not use contextualization to figure out the clause for which I use words?" Quinton growls. Jaune stares at him blankly. Quinton pinches the bridge of his nose.

"Belligerence is the act of being pugnacious." Quinton says angrily. Jaune continues to stare at him like his head fell off.

"What?" Jaune says after a few moments of silence. The car engines roars to life just as Quinton lets out an angry curse. Garrold sighs and looks at Jaune through the rear view mirror.

"Vhat he means is that the people ve are going to kill are bad people. Angry, quick to violence." Jaune raised his eyebrows.

"Why didn't you just say that?" Jaune question as he glances back over to Quinton.

"What do you take me for? A simpleton? If you cannot understand what I am saying when I use slightly larger words than you are used to then I suggest you open a dictionary, hmm?" Quinton said as he turned around, letting Jaune know that the conversation was over.

Jaune looked out of the side window. He had no idea what to think of his current situation. He had been kicked out of Beacon only a few hours ago. He had broken the hearts of his teammates and friends as he ran only a few short hours ago. He couldn't look himself in the mirror after he made Ruby cry, after he heard her screaming his name. Even as she did that, through footfalls he still ignored her pleas for an explanation. For a reason as to why he did what he did. She didn't understand what it felt like to be so weak. She never would. They all would never know. And now look at him. Sitting in the back of the car with two strangers he only knew by name about to go and commit a crime. Maybe it wasn't a crime? Ozpin had personally recommended these people to Jaune… so it couldn't be?

"Right?" Jaune whispered to himself as he felt the car come to a halt. Snapping back to reality, Jaune looks out the window of the car and notices that its parked somewhere on the outskirts of Vale, by an alleyway. He hears the front doors of the car open as the two men before him get out. Jaune exits the car as well and looks around. He is shocked to see how many buildings in the area were broken down and abandoned. It was like a ghost town. It was also raining and nighttime, so that just added to the dreary factor of it all.

"Mr. Arc. Come over here." Quinton says. Jaune turns to Quinton, who is standing by the trunk of the car and walks over to him.

"Yes?" Jaune asks. Quinton doesn't reply and instead pushes a chopper rifle into his hands.

"Have you ever used a rifle before? Or any firearm?" Quinton asks. Jaune shakes his head.

"No." Quinton did not like that answer and glares at Jaune.

"I used a sword. Crocea Mors." Jaune says as he looks away from Quinton's glare, his dark green eyes boring into Jaune's soul even as he averted his gaze.

"Vhere is this Crocea Mors? Is it still vith you? No?" Jaune grimaced.

"I sent it back to my parents… I didn't deserve it." Quinton scoffed at this.

"Only a fool sends something as valuable as a weapon back to his family before thrusting himself back into the insatiable jaws of violence." The feline says before picking up a rifle for himself and checking it.

"But do not fret, buffoon. We will get you a custom built weapon. But for now, we use the classics. Simple, brutal, and most of all, efficient." Quinton said as he closed the trunk of the car before turning to Jaune.

"Before we go in, I'd like to give you a short lesson on how to use that weapon. Or any gun in general for that matter. Step one: Aim the gun and pull the trigger. Control reactions to recoil. Be accurate. Step two: the person or living being you were aiming at is now paste." Quinton said quickly as he adjusted his glasses and turned toward Garrold. The two both started walking towards a dark alleyway.

"But wait, what if they have aura? What then?" Jaune asks Quinton.

"These guns are specifically and specially designed to handle .45 millimetre anti-aura rounds. I will not get into how they work now, since we have a job to do. Stay focused and keen of your surroundings, and if you have a semblance that allows you to utilize something that will kill faster, I suggest you use it." Quinton said as he began to sprint towards the alley way, with Garrold following suit. Jaune went pale.

He would have to kill other people. He WOULD kill other people.

He had never done or thought of doing that before. Jaune looked down at his gun and his arms began to shake. Taking the life of another human being was the hardest thing he would ever do in his life. And he had fought the creatures of Grimm head on, by himself at times. Jaune swallowed his fears and ran towards the alleyway to catch up with Quinton and Garrold. Soon he was behind the two again, shrouded in darkness with them.

"Ve are almost there, Arc. Be ready to kill anything that tries to kill you." Garrold says as he trains his gun upwards, looking through the iron sights as they approached a corner that turned left, and was illuminated with artificial light. Garrold quickly turns the corner and so does Quinton, both of them firing off their weapons at two unlucky fellows who had been guarding a door. Jaune felt his heart race.

He turned the corner and saw two dead bodies, blood , and bullet holes strewn about. He wanted to throw up. Jaune put his hand over his mouth and leaned against a wall. This wasn't happening. Quinton and Garrold both took note of this reaction.

"Mr. Arc, you have never killed a human or faunus before have you?" Quinton asked. Jaune nodded.

"N-no… never…" Jaune whispered. Because of his heritage, Quinton caught this however. He sighs.

"That changes today, Mr. Arc. This is your training. You want to prove yourself yes?" Jaune nodded.

"Then raise your chin, straighten that slouch of yours, and get bloody going." Quinton said with a glare as he turned and kicked open the door. He went in first, then Garrold. Jaune held his hand up to his chest before gritting his teeth and reluctantly following the two into danger. The three of them entered the building. Quinton and Garrold shared a look between each other.

Jaune, Garrold, and Quinton ran down a narrow hallway leading to a wooden door. Quinton stopped in front of the door and turned to the two males behind him.

"They are most likely all cluttered behind this door. Garrold, do you have the flash on you?" Garrold nodded before pulling out a cylinder canister, which Jaune recognized as a flashbang. Quinton walked up to the door and gripped the handle. He quickly opened it, and Garrold threw the flashbang into the room before Quinton closed the door. A loud "bang" was heard, and Quinton opened up the door again and charged.

With Garrold following suit, the two burst into the room full of temporarily blinded foes and opened fire. Quinton rolled behind a table after he took two men down and Garrold did the same. Jaune was still outside of the room however, hoping that he wouldn't have to fight if those two did all of the fighting for him.

"Hey who the fuck are you?" Jaune nearly jumped as he turned around and saw a faunus in baggy jeans and a long sleeve sweater aiming a pistol at him. The man shot at Jaune, and he dodged the bullet at the last minute before firing back at the man, watching in horror as the bullets tore directly through him, destroying his aura almost instantly. The man fell to the floor, lifeless.

Jaune just stared at the body. At the blood. He had done that. He had killed him. Jaune felt his arms start to shake as he turns around towards the bigger gunfight happening in the room behind him. Jaune runs into the room and sees a man wearing a heavy coat with the hood up aiming a pistol at Quinton. Jaune fires first, the bullets from his gun painting the wall behind the man with holes, and with the color red. Jaune then turns to his left just in time to avoid a bullet hitting him in the back of the head before letting a maelstrom of bullets fly from his chopper, ending the life of yet another man. Jaune stops and looks around, his eyes wide, his heart beating at 80 miles an hour.

He looks over to Garrold and Quinton, both of them checking their weapons and looking around the room. Jaune looks around as well, counting the bodies on the floor. There are 10 dead men on the floor. 3 of them killed by Jaune. 4 if you count the man Jaune shot outside in the hallway. Jaune walked over to a chair that happened to survive the onslaught and plopped down in it before sighing and looking up.

"For your first time killing, you vere good at it." Garrold says as he walks up to a exasperated Jaune. The blonde simply nods. His brain did not want to dwell on what he had done, and neither did he.

"That's all fine and dandy, but remember. We have to clear out the basement. Lets not forget that, and end up exacerbating the very vexed situation we are already a part of." Quinton says as he looks around the room. Jaune raises an eyebrow.

"Basement?" Jaune asks.

"Yes, there is a basement. Ve vere sent here to kill a man named Sirgil. He is here, cooped up in the basement like little girl, surrounded by men more trained than he." Garrold says as he picks up a pistol that belonged to a now deceased faunus. He ejected the mag and checked it before groaning and tossing the pistol away. He leaned down and picked up the weapon he was previously using.

"Garrold, Arc. Take heed. I have found the entrance to the basement." Quinton said as he moved large pieces of bloody wood and glass shards from atop a trap door, which he immediately opened exposing a ladder that supposedly led to a basement. Quinton began climbing down the ladder and Garrold followed suit, Jaune went last.

The basement was not at all what Jaune was expecting. It looked like it had been carved out of the very earth itself, the old rock around them appearing to be so old that some form of plant grew from them.

"Mr. Arc, this isn't a tour, quit rubbernecking and let's go!" Quinton whisper yelled. Jaune nodded quickly and began to follow the deranged cat once more. Eventually the trio came upon a large amount of boxes, filled with illegal substances no doubt.

"Arc, vord of visdom from me. Vhenever you see large crates like this stored in such shitty areas, its usually drugs, not guns. But no matter vhat type of illegal item it is, they are alvays guarded. Be on the lookout." Garrold whispered to Jaune as he crouched behind a crate and took a peek over it. Jaune mimicked him. And of course, there were 3 armed men standing by the crates, their weapons down in resting position.

Jaune's heart started racing. His vision flashed with images of gore and death, yet only for a split second. Jaune massaged his temple and attempted to push the images out of his mind and prepare for the things he was about to help do. Quinton rose up from behind the crates and opened fire at the men, and Jaune hopped the crates and did the same. The three men dropped dead, and 3 more emerged from behind other crates further down the hall. Jaune stood and fired wildly at them, hitting all three but only killing two of them. The other man fell against a crate. Quinton shot up and ran over to the man, dropping his rifle, and pulling a pistol out from his suit jacket. He aimed at the dying man and finished him off.

The three moved past all of the crates, and into a large clearing where they were met with at least 20 men, all pointing guns at them. In the center of these men was a man wearing a hoodie with various pieces of armour attached to it and dark pants. He was missing and eye and had cuts all over his face. Jaune wondered what happened to him.

"So. They finally sent you two after me. Ironic." The man said. Jaune leaned towards Quinton.

"Who is this guy?"

"His name is Sirgil. And we are going to kill him and all of his men." Jaune's eyes widened. How? They were outnumbered. 21 to 3. Or was it 7 to 1?

"Now now, Quinton. I thought you knew how to count. There's 21 of us. And three of you. Well, it might as well only be two. The new guy looks too fresh to pose a threat to me." Sigil said and smirked and he pulled out a rifle/sword hybrid.

"Sorry it had to come to this—" Sigil was cut of by the sounds of a chopper going off and the men around him falling dead. Jaune had had enough of his monologue bullshit. Jaune narrowed his eyes as lead met flesh, and as the gun in his hands started to feel lighter and lighter. The men who were still alive opened fire, spraying bullets directly and Jaune, Quinton, and Garrold. Jaune ducked out of the way and rolled, while Garrold and Quinton ran straight into the fire, taking out their true weapons and killing their opponents with brutal efficiency. Quinton used a long curved blade as his tool of evil, and Garrold used a revolver and three metal claws protruding from some sort of gauntlet on his hand. Garrold grabbed a man's face and flipped him upward before impaling the man and tossing his lifeless body to the side, while Quinton wove around his foes with ghostly, fleet-footed speed. The mysterious man used his curved blade to carve smiles into the throats of his victims before doing the same to their abdomens.

Jaune on the other hand was locked into a hand to hand combat session with a dark-skinned fellow. Dodging hit after hit, Jaune punched the man square in the jaw, sending him flying back into a wall. He then turned around only to see another man pointing a shotgun directly at his chest. Jaune leapt to the side, but not without receiving a few buck shots of aura piercing shotgun shells.

Screaming in pain, Jaune fell to the ground clenching his bloody arm. The man with the shotgun aimed at Jaune again, but missed when Jaune rolled out of the way. Jaune stood up and charged the man, tackling him and forcing him to drop his shotgun. The two fought viciously on the floor, punching, biting and scratching whatever they could to inflict pain on each other.

The man Jaune was fighting punched him in the face, causing him to fall off of the man. He then picked up a pistol and aimed it at Jaune. The blonde boy ducked as a shot fired off from the weapon before picking up a sharp piece of wood and tackling the man. Jaune then brought the piece of wood up and plunged it into the throat of his assailant as hard as he could. He felt the man's aura break, and the sharp wood shard met its target, and the man his maker. Jaune got off of the man and looked around. Blood and gore was everywhere. Dead bodies strewn about like toys. And in the center of it all stood Sirgil, that shit eating grin effectively wiped off of his face as he realized there was nowhere to run. Jaune stood up and gripped his right arm, the one that had been shot, and glared at Sirgil. A bloody Quinton walked up and stood next to Jaune, his piercing eyes focused on Sirgil. Garrold did the same, except 100 times worse.

"Listen guys, I wasn't think straight before. How about we talk this out?" Sirgil pleaded.

"Even now, Sirgil. Twenty years later, you are still as much of a pansy as you are an avaricious milquetoast." Quinton says as he fixes his glasses and wipes the blood off of the lens.

"But don't vory, Sirgil. We give you kind death." Garrold says as he slowly approaches Sirgil. Jaune can now safely say he had never seen a man actually shit himself until that moment.

 **|S·P·E·A·K—E·A·S·Y|**

Jaune got out the car, clenching his arm as he tried to stop the bleeding. His aura still hadn't kicked in, and it has been almost an hour since he, Quinton and Garrold had left enemy territory. Or rather, empty territory.

"I will admit, you have managed to do what most could not, and that was survive with us through standard work. You have my condolences. But do not let this victory make you presumptuous. You are still a neophyte, a fledging if you will. With more training, and more education, you will be better than you could ever hope to be by visiting such a guileless academy as Beacon." Quinton said while walking past Jaune and opening the back door to the Blind Tiger. Jaune followed him in. When Jaune came in he was surprised to see that woman and the man still talking to each other, but now there was another female sitting next to the man. She was wearing a white overcoat and black jeans with white heels. Her undershirt was black and she also wore black gloves. Jaune was starting to sense a pattern. Her skin was dark, but not dark chocolate dark. She was more of a milk chocolate color. Her hair was tied back neatly in a bun, and a bow was tied around it. She also had beautiful brown eyes.

"Ah, Miss Hannah. A pleasure." Quinton says as he tips his hat, which had somehow managed to stay on his head throughout the conflict he and his companions had just went through. The woman sitting next to Jonathan stood up and smiled, pulling Quinton into a hug.

"Quinton! I'm so happy to see you! Where have you been?"

"UNHAND ME YOU ABHORRENT MEASLE!" Quinton shouted as he tried to escape the unwanted human contact he was receiving from Hannah.

"That's no way to talk to your wife now is it?" Quinton grimaced at those words and gave a disgusted look to Hannah, who simply smiled and laughed. She let him go and he backed away from her and dusted off his suit jacket, which was lightly stained with blood and other bodily fluids. Hannah scrunched up her nose.

"Eww what the hell have you been doing?" She glanced over to Garrold, who was currently drinking a bottle of Jack, and saw he was no less worse for wear. Then she glanced over to Jaune, who she didn't know but could tell he had been through hell. His right arm was proof of that.

"You three didn't go out and kill Sirgil did you?" Hannah questioned. Quinton, Garrold, and Jaune looked between each other.

"No?" All three of the males replied. Hannah pinched the bridge of her nose.

"There goes the diplomatic approach to things. Oh well. The slimy bastard had it coming. You there." Hannah pointed at Jaune.

"Let me see that arm so I can patch you up." Hannah said to Jaune, who simply nodded and walked over to her. Hannah went to a table and pulled out a chair.

"Sit." Jaune sat.

"What's your name, hun?"

"Jaune Arc."

"Ohhh an Arc huh? I bet you think you're hot shit don't you?" Jaune shook his head.

"I feel like a hot piece of shit. So. You aren't far off." Hannah laughed.

"I like this guy! Short, simple, and sweet retorts. No long ass words and bullshit sentence composition like your boy eight eyes over there." Hannah said as she gestured over to Quinton, who simply scoffed.

Hannah began to examine Jaune's arm. She narrowed her eyes when she saw all of the lead in it.

"I'm going to have to remove all of this lead. I'll be right back, I'm going to run to the car and get my medkit. You are lucky, Jaune Arc, that I just so happen to be a two-timing doctor." Hannah said as she left to go grab a medkit. When she returned, she was holding a white box. She pulled up a second chair next to Jaune and began to work on his arm. She opened the box and pulled out a metal rod, which she then used to remove all of the lead jammed in Jaune's arm. Jaune fought back his urge to scream out in pain, and grit his teeth as Hannah kept working on his injured arm.

"Alright, the lead is all out. I'm going to clean this up with some ointment and you'll be all good." Hannah said as she got out a small box of medical wipes. She began to clean around each bullet wound, taking care to clean all of the blood off of Jaune's arm. Thankfully in the hour that Jaune had been in the car with Quinton and Garrold, the bleeding had at least stopped.

"They used dust rounds on your arm. It'll take longer for these wounds to heal and because of that they will leave scars. It should take about 7 hours for these wounds to heal at this rate." Hannah said before getting out some gauze and wrapping it around Jaune's arm.

"There, all cleaned up." Jaune smiled at Hannah.

"Thanks." Jaune said as he stood up. His arm still hurt like hell, but it wasn't as bad as earlier.

"Woah. You must have been through a lot if you got shot like that." The familiar voice of Jonathan chimed. Jaune looked over to Jaune and nodded.

"Yeah…" He muttered. Carol glanced at Jaune.

"Jaune. Where will you be staying once you leave? You have been kicked out of Beacon with no money. How are you going to find a place to stay if you don't already have one?" Carol asked. Jaune's eyes widened. He had no idea what he was going to do about that. Not that he cared, however. There were more pressing issues on his mind.

"Oh oh! I'll take him home with me! I have an extra guest room for the ol' chap to sleep in!" Jonathan yelled out. Jaune smiled.

"You'd be willing to do that?" Jaune asked, hoping the offer was for real.

"Yes. Yes yes. Yes yes yes. I am, I am! I am completely sure about this! Lets go now actually because I'm quite tired." Jonathan said as he leapt up from the table and walked towards a coat rack and grabbed a black overcoat from it before grabbing a worn fedora off of the coat rack. Jonathan put the hat and coat on and signaled for Jaune to follow him. Jaune followed Jonathan outside to his car and got in on the passenger side.

"Now it's just me and you buddy! Jaune Arc! My name is Jonathan by the way, incase you didn't hear it in the Tiger." Jonathan said, a wide smile spread across his lips. Jonathan started up the car.

"So my friend. How did you like your first day on the job, huh?" Jonathan asks. Jaune stares out the window. Images and memories dance across his mind and vison as he sees the people he had killed. Jaune shook his head.

"It was… interesting. I don't want to talk about any further." Jaune said as he glanced over to Jonathan.

"Ahh that's okay sometimes we all get the blues, the highs the lows. Sometimes it's the deeps and the steeps, and other times it's the hollows and the shallows. Wait that doesn't rhyme right… whatever. Anyway, don't dwell of the fact you killed men. Just think about why you killed them. Usually thinking about purpose rather than the action itself is better for your mental health. Or you could bottle it all up like Garrold. Or you can just throw all of your emotions into a blender, then let someone else drink them because your eloquence is "much too strong" just like Quinton." Jaune cringed.

"I don't want to be like them." Jaune said. The car came to a stop and Jonathan opened the door. Jaune exited the car as well.

"Then don't be like them. Be like whoever you are. Uniqueness is what stops the world from being boring, lifeless and robotic. But that same uniqueness is why we have so much conflict. That and the Grimm." Jonathan said as he walked up the porch stairs to the porch of his house. Jaune followed Jonathan as he unlocked his door and stepped inside his apartment. Jonathan turned on the lights and took a right.

"Have you ever killed before?" Jaune asked as he walked up a flight of stairs, taking care not to fall. Jonathan opened up a door at the top of the flight of stairs then turned around to Jaune for a second.

"Everyone who works at the Blind Tiger has killed someone. So yes, I have." The faunus turned around and started walking forward. He made a right into yet another hallway, but this hallway was a dead end and had 3 doors. One door on the right side two on the left. Jonathan turned and opened the door to the room on the right.

"So how did you cope with your first killing? How did you forget?" Jonathan stopped for a second.

"I didn't." He said simply before moving out of the way so Jaune could enter the room. The inside of the room was painted white, just like the rest of the house, and the floor was carpet. There was a queen sized bed hugging the left wall of the room and a closet on the right. To the side of the bed was a nightstand. Jaune sighed in delight. He was going to sleep good that night.

"Thanks for letting me stay here."

"Not a problem! But if you'll excuse me, I have to sleep as well!" Jonathan said as he tipped his hat to Jaune and left the room. Jaune took off his now ruined jacket and his bloody jeans. He could ask for a shower, but he was too tired to even bother. Jaune walked over to the door of the room and closed it before turning off the light and falling onto the bed. He let out a sigh, and then grabbed a pillow and screamed into it. The world had done him dirty. His friends had proven that they were never so. And he had just committed 8 counts of manslaughter.

Jaune Arc did not have a good Monday.

 _ **Hello, my fellow ladies and gentlemen. I hope you disported this reading experience with vigor. This has been an idea on my mind for ages now, and to type it all into words makes the feeling of creating stories a joy to be had.**_

 _ **Leave a review of what you thought, if you would be so kind, and I will see you in the next update. Ta Ta~**_


	2. Episode 2: The Black Lamb

**The Blind Tiger Speakeasy**

 _Episode 2: Black Lamb_

Jaune groaned as he opened his eyes. Sunlight beamed through a single window next to the bed he was laying on. The groggy teenage boy sat up in the bed and yawned before standing up and looking around for his clothes. He could not find them however, and he had looked everywhere. Under the bed, in the closet, by the night stand. Eventually Jaune gave up, and opened the door to his room only to be surprised by a girl wearing a grey skirt and a golfer's hat. She had black hair and large violet eyes. Her face was cute and round, and her nose was somewhat small. Jaune also assessed the clothes she was holding, but a glance told them that they weren't his.

"Uhhh hi. Jonathan told me that you might need some new clothes because your old ones were, and I quote, "Bootleg and all full of holes, covered in fluids like an experienced flapper, and more droopy than a lackey high on Tea."" The girl said as she handed Jaune the clothes she had been holding. It seemed his earlier assessment had been completely wrong. Jaune accepted the clothes. It was a pair of slacks with overalls, a white freshly pressed dress shirt, dress shoes, and black socks.

"Thank you… uhm… what's your name? I don't think I saw you at the Blind Tiger yesterday." Jaune said, assuming the girl in front of him was a part of the posse.

"My name is Lily, and I am not a part of that… That… gang of misfits. Murderers. That is why you will never see me go there, no matter how strong their alcohol is." Lily said, causing Jaune to look around nervously.

"Yeahhh…" Right. He had killed people. The memories flooded back to the young blonde in an instant. Jaune scratched the back of his head before looking back at the girl.

"Thanks. Tell Jonathan that I appreciate the sentiment." Lily smiled. Jaune nodded and walked into the room, Lily following him and sitting down on the bed.

"Finally someone who appreciates my work around here! Wait a minute how do you know about the Tiger?" Lily said as she narrowed her eyes at Jaune as he began putting on the slacks that Jonathan had provided him. Jaune looked at her.

"I'm a new recruit, I guess. Uhh… oh yeah I joined yesterday. That's about it." Jaune said as he put on the dress shirt and began to button it up. Lily stared at Jaune.

"What did you do to get mixed up with a crowd like that?" Lily asked. Jaune chuckled.

"It's a long story."

 **|S·P·E·A·K—E·A·S·Y|**

Ruby was not having a good day. The thoughts from the day prior had racked her mind in more ways than one. Jaune had lied. To her, to her friends, to his team, and Ruby understood this. What she didn't understand was her own reaction. She had gotten so angry… so… Yang, at that moment that even Yang herself had criticized her afterwards. The thought of Jaune running away plagued her the young girl's mind as she poked at her food at the table with her teammates. Her friends.

"RUBY!" Ruby yelped and dropped her fork on the floor before turning to Yang.

"Yannnggg! Why did you do that?" Ruby whined.

"Weiss has been trying to talk to you for the past 5 minutes. You didn't notice?" Yang asked as she gave Ruby a concerned look. Ruby glanced towards Weiss, who had her arms crossed, to confirm if what Yang had claimed was indeed true.

"Yang is right Ruby, I have been trying to talk to you and you seemed to be completely spaced out. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but ever since you yelled at Jaune yesterday, which was shocking to say the least, you haven't been you. Are you alright?" Weiss asked. Ruby sighed and looked away from her.

"No. I feel angry at myself for not listening. I kinda dwelt on what Jaune did and not why. I should have talked to him… I should have listened. Instead I pulled a Yang." Ruby said dejectedly as she looked downward at her food.

"Hey wait a minute I don't… nevermind." Yang grumbled. She turned over to Ruby and wrapped her arm around her neck.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. I'm sure Jaune is okay, although I don't think any of us handled it well. It has come to my attention, after a day thinking, that I was being a hypocrite by judging the blonde goofball so harshly when I've done some pretty suggestive things to a certain club owner. I was actually going to address this while I was talking to him but you, my dear sister, had quite the way with words—"

"THAT IS NOT HELPING YANG." Ruby said loudly while punching her sister's arm. Yang put on a sheepish grin before apologizing.

"What are we talking about?" Weiss screamed in terror as a orange—haired crazy person appeared from underneath the table.

"B-by Monty, Nora! Don't do that!" Weiss stammered as she recovered. Nora simply smiled and sat next to Weiss. Ren and Pyrrha came and sat down at the table with team RWBY. Things became awkward extremely fast.

"About yesterday." Ren started. Ruby tensed up.

"Ruby, I did not approve of what you said to my friend. Jaune didn't deserve such harsh words, from any of you. The fact that he, a civilian, decided that he'd rather cheat his way into a prodigious academy rather than sit around idly doing nothing as people suffered is a quality lacking in many people, even some of the students here. While I don't approve of the way he entered Beacon, I do approve of his motives. And he, while not the brightest person, led us greatly and was more than a leader to us. He was a friend. A friend that we wanted to talk to, and console in his time of need. A friend we wanted to give contact information to so we can always be in touch. A friend who was in need." Ren said as he looked away from Ruby, a somber look on his face. Nora looked at Ren sadly and nodded, their secret understanding of the feeling of loneliness helping them visualize the pain Jaune could be going through.

This didn't help Ruby with not crying at all, as she buried her head in her hands and let a few silent tears fall.

"I…I'm sorry… I was just angry. I overreacted… I know, but I never wanted to hurt Jaune. Not in the slightest." Pyrrha slightly glared at Ruby.

"You should have thought of that when you decided to scream at him." Pyrrha spat with much more acid in her voice than she intended. Yang decided then to intervene.

"Woahhhh, slow down guys. I don't want this to become the "Make My Sister Cry" Games. Yes her reaction was overblown but so was mine and Weiss'. Its too late to change what we said. But its not late to start doing something about it." Yang said, staring directly at Pyrrha. The gladiator sighed.

"I'm sorry. It's just that… me and Jaune were close. So close he decided that he told me about his transcripts. For a second I was concerned about that because of the issues of legal problems and how what he did was illegal, but it would be hard for a blind person to not see the valour in his ways and reasoning." Pyrrha stated. She frowned as a familiar tug in her chest pushed her close to tears.

"Jaune knew what he was doing, he knew the gamble he had made, he knew the dealer he was fooling. It's his own fault he got expelled… no one else's." Pyrrha said through grit teeth.

"That is not as true as you may think, Ms. Nikos." Chimed a new voice. Team RWBY and what remained of JNPR all looked up towards the familiar sound of a man sipping coffee. Weiss was the first to speak.

"Headmaster Ozpin… what do you mean by that?" The white haired girl asked. Ozpin smiled.

"His parents called me directly. They told me everything on Jaune's transcripts were false." Weiss looked away from Ozpin.

"So his parents told him out… that is understandable." Weiss murmured to herself as thoughts of her father began to drift into her mind.

"Also, let me clear up misconceptions about Jaune's condition. He has not been expelled." Team RWBY and NPR gasped.

"He's not? Then why isn't he here?" Yang asked, to which Ozpin replied to with a smirk on his lips and a sip of his favorite brew.

"Jaune is currently being retrained by some old associates of mine. He has been given a month of working with them, and if he shows exceptional improvement with them, he will be back here as if nothing occurred." Ozpin said as he turned away from his students.

"But remember girls, and , events like this often change people, and Jaune will most likely be no exception." With that, Ozpin left the kids to their thoughts, smiling with how cool he had just made himself look.

 **|S·P·E·A·K—E·A·S·Y|**

Jaune sat idly at the table. He had finished talking to Lily, and was now waiting for Jonathan to finish his pancakes.

"So, Jwanf, You anf I—hol' on." Jonathan swallowed the mouthful of pancake in his face before continuing.

"You and I have some work to do today. And yes, I know you just got back from killin' ol' Sirgil, but us at the Tiger never rest. We always got work to do, always on the move, moseying along, tappin' our feet and tweedlin' our dees. Ah, to thirst for adventure and annotation of everyday musings and meaningless trifles, stifling and rife with things meant to pass time for the carless." Jonathan said as he stood up, on foot on the chair he was sitting in and the other planted on the ground. He put his hand on his chest and began to speak once more.

"But fear not, young lad! For I have been to the promised land, the resonance and irrefutable vision of greatness we, human and faunus alike, strive for. To abhor an anchor is to cast away the ship, my dear friend. Always remember what you strive for and what the Tiger stands for! You'll be learning about that soon enough." Jonathan said as he stuffed his mouth full of pancakes before pouring syrup in his coffee and drinking it. Jaune stared at him.

"Do you do that often?"

"wwhf?" Jonathan raised an eyebrow and tilted one of his cat ears.

"I mean… do you monologue like you just did often?" Jaune reiterated. Jonathan swallowed his pancakes and drunk his syrup coffee.

"Monologue? I do not monologue, my dear Jaune. I make poems. Beautiful works of vocal art." Jonathan said in a haughty, upstage tone. Jaune chuckled.

"Anyway, today we have a job to do. Quinton wants you to be there since he said you have an iota of potential. I don't know what that means. And he said make sure your bring that chip and that file the 'Headmaster' gave to you." Jonathan said before wiping his face with a napkin and putting his plate and cup in the sink. Jonathan turned around and gave Jaune a wide smile.

"Let's go! Grab your hat!" Jonathan said, gesturing towards a coatrack sitting right outside the kitchen next to the hallway that lead to the front door. There were two styles of hat; a black trilby and what seemed to be a worn leather porkpie. Jonathan grabbed the porkpie hat, so Jaune grabbed the trilby and put it on.

"Looking rrriigghhhttt proper! Let's go Jaune-o!" Jonathan said as he opened the front door and walked to the car. Jaune followed suit, and waited for Jonathan to unlock the door.

"What exactly are we going to be doing?" Jaune asked as he opened the passenger seat door of the vehicle, which was an old model 4 wheeler truck with a dark blue paintjob.

"Oh a little bit of this, a little bit of that. It won't be as intense as your first day on the job. Probably." Jonathan said as he started the engine of the old truck and pulled out of the driveway of Jonathan's house. Jaune raised an eyebrow. Something wasn't right.

"Hey Jonathan, where's Lily?" Jaune asked. Jonathan adjusted the rear view mirror and used it to look at Jaune for a second. He started laughing.

"She's back at my place. Duh. Where else would she wander off to?"

"I don't know, I talked to her for about 10 minutes. I know nothing about her." Jonathan smiled.

"Good. The less you know about her the better. Anyway, do you have the file and the chip?" Jaune nodded.

"I took the envelope out of the file, since it's the only thing addressed to the Blind Tiger, and I have the chip on my pocket." Jaune said. Jonathan tipped his hat.

"Good, we don't want Quinton getting angry. He's quite intimidating when he is." Jonathan said. Jaune sat back in his seat and let out a nervous breath. Quinton. That guy was psychotic to say the least. Jaune could safely say that he was not looking forward to their new job. Jaune leaned against the passenger door and looked out of the window.

Various buildings and structures were passing by in what seemed to be the blink of an eye. All types of people blending into a indistinct smear as Jonathan obliterated the speed limit. He took a sharp turn, sending Jaune jolting to the right.

"Hey Jonathan, for the remainder of this drive, can you please steer like a sane person and follow the speed limit?" Jaune asked.

"Too late, we are here!" Jonathan said as he stopped the car abruptly, sending Jaune's face into the windshield.

"That's what you get for not wearing a seatbelt." Jonathan quipped.

"You aren't wearing one either!" Jaune retorted. Jonathan simply tipped his hat and opened the drivers side door.

"Well, I wasn't the one who went flying into the windshield now was I?" He said, his trademark grin plastered on his face. Jaune frowned and looked away in defeat. He then noticed where they were. An old abandoned building.

"I hope this doesn't become the norm…" Jaune said to himself as he got out of the truck and closed the door. The two walked towards the abandoned building and stood by the entrance, which was nothing but a rectangular opening in the wall where two doors might have went. Jonathan walked in first, followed by a wary Jaune trailing not too far behind him.

The two males weaved through rubble and the remains of old tech and furniture as they progressed towards a central goal, one that Jaune knew nothing about. Eventually the two came to a wooden door.

"Alright Jaune, this is it. Your real work starts today! Make sure you have your chip with you and out in the open, ditto?" Jonathan said before turning and knocking on the wooden door 4 times, pausing for a few seconds, then knocking on the door 5 more times in a heart beat sort of way. Jaune reached into his pocket and pulled out the chip Ozpin had given him.

Just as he did this, the wooden door slowly creaked open revealing a man wearing a black, gold trimmed suit with a dark grey dress shirt on beneath the jacket. The man was bald and dark skinned, and his hands were decorated with various tattoos and rings. The bald dark skinned man smiled.

"Jonathan, it's been too long. How have you been?" The man said in a suave, well-mannered tone. Jonathan smiled and raised the tip of his porkpie hat.

"I've been around, providing wares and liquor for Carol and her comrades. You know, the standard. What about you, Tom? You been alright?" Jonathan said as he leaned against a wall.

"Things have been rough over in these parts lately with Roman and the Fang running around stealing dust that we buy. Ruining our business. But the thing about Roman is, to us… he's as good as untouchable." Tom said as he turned around and signaled for the two to follow him.

Jaune glanced at Jonathan, who simply smiled and followed Tom. Jaune sighed and did the same. The trio walked down a narrow hallway that bulged outward into a larger hallway, the walls now decorated with various paintings. There was a flight of stairs that descended into an unknown area of the building. Tom wasted no time however, and walked down the flight of stairs, Jonathan following close behind the man.

"So, Jaune. I know you may be confused as to where exactly you are, but worry not! This place is our little city on the hill, a getaway, if you will. After a successful mission we come here to truly experience the Blind Tiger, and all of its fine spirits! This my friend, is the Black Lamb!" Jonathan exclaimed as they reached the bottom of the staircase.

Jaune was stricken with awe.

Before him were dozens of tables, each one polished mahogany, shining in the glorious light of a crystal chandelier hanging above them. Four decorated pillars shot up into the ceiling, each of them connected to each other by a series of red ribbons. 2 bars lay on both sides of the colossal room, each one of them stacked with any type of alcohol a alcoholic could frothily dream of. From Hard whiskey all the way down to refined white wine, they had it all. In front of everything sat a humongous stage. A drum set, mic, and three guitar stands stood shining on the impressive work of architecture. Jaune was at a loss for words.

"I see you have finally made it. Jonathan, Tom, imbecile." A familiar voice spoke from on of the bars. Jaune narrowed his eyes as Quinton came from behind the counter. He was wearing a full blue pinstripe suit with a blue homburg on.

"Hey Quinton. Nice to see you are still as stuffy as usual." Jonathan said as he tipped his hat. Quinton scoffed at this.

"Fool, only someone as dimwitted as you would think true fashion is "stuffy"." Quinton said as he adjusted his glasses and fixed his tie. He looked over to Jaune.

"Mr. Arc, I assume you have your Black Lamb chip? Along with the files I was supposed to go through?" He asked. Jaune nodded and handed him the chip and the envelope. Quinton eyed it.

"What's this? I was told you were supposed to have a complete file. This is an envelope." Quinton said as he raised an eyebrow at Jaune.

"Yeah, I looked through the file and threw out what wasn't important. My "official" expulsion notice and my semester report card. All of what's in that envelope should be important things from Ozpin himself. It does have his signature on it." Jaune pointed out. Quinton hummed to himself before walking to a table and setting the envelope down. He took off his suit jacket and put on the back of a chair and sat down in it. Quinton picked up the envelope and pulled a knife out of nowhere and opened it.

"Ooooh! What's inside, is it something miraculous? Or is it a drag, like you?" Jonathan said while nudging Quinton's arm, to which he replied to with a glare. Jonathan backed away with his hands up in a surrender position. Quinton ceased his glare and turned to Jaune. He looked down at the envelope and pulled out a single folded paper from it. He eyed the paper closely.

"I see. Everything checks out then. I was expecting paperwork, but luckily Ozpin is quick to the punch." Quinton said as he neatly folded the paper and put it in his suit jacket. He stood up and walked towards Jaune and handed him back the BL chip.

"Do not lose this chip. It is the only way you'll be able to get in the Black Lamb and converse with more…" Quinton glances over to Jonathan in disgust.

"… Tact folk." He said as he walked passed Jaune. The blond boy stared down at the chip in his hand, it feeling heavier than it ever had before at the moment. He looked back up at Quinton, who was pouring himself a drink.

"Mr. Arc, I will have you know that this next month will be vigorous. I will be teaching you all of the basics of combat and eloquence, so that by the time you leave our establishment and returned to more morally sound work, you will have skills that surpass all of those naïve little brats at Beacon. And to get you prepared for this, I did what I promised would get done. I have crafted you a fine work of art. It only took me 18 hours to do so." Quinton said as he drunk whatever alcohol he had just poured into his glass. He leaned downward and reached for something hidden behind the bar counter. He pulled out a briefcase and walked over to the table he had previously been sitting at.

"Take a look, tell me what you think." Jaune nodded at this and reached for the briefcase. He opened it and was pleasantly surprised by what he saw.

"It is a high impact long neck rifle and a gentleman's cane combination, with a brilliant oak finish. It fires a deadly bullet that splits into nine smaller projectiles when it makes contact with its target and is extremely effective against humans. They also rip apart Grimm with ease, but wasting these bullets on anything that isn't a King Taiju or bigger is absolutely ridiculous." Quinton said as he watched Jaune pick up the weapon. The cane felt so effortlessly easy to maneuver.

"Also, here." Quinton pulls a .44 magnum out from inside of a secret holster in his shirt.

"My favorite pistol. I named it Clyde, because I appreciate the classics. Do NOT squander these things I am giving you, Mr. Arc. I would not take kindly to it."

"I won't dissapoint you Quinton!" Jaune says with vigor and newfound hope as he looked at his new weapons.

"Good, because your official conditioning starts today." Quinton said as he put on his suit jacket and pushed in the chair. Jaune stared at the man. He then pieced two and two together.

He was going to die by the hands of a madman.

 _ **Hello, my fellow gentlemen and fair ladies. I bring to you a new, albeit short Episode detailing the aftermath of Jaune's little "outing" with Quinton and Garrold. The next chapter is going to be a long one, so be ready for it. Thank you all for the support, and I will allocate myself in your general area later. Ta Ta.**_


	3. Episode 3: Cold Comfort

**The Blind Tiger Speakeasy**

| _Episode 3: Cold Comfort_ |

It was the dead of night. A male cat faunus dressed in an all black tailcoat suit sat at the edge of the top of a building. With a sniper rifle in one hand and a vintage stopwatch in the other, the faunus waited. And waited. And waited. The faunus let out a sigh and glanced through the scope of his sniper, looking down into the streets of Vale for a certain package being delivered. He shifted his focus through countless civilians and cars speeding about, none of them the slightest bit suspicious. Except for one particular man. The faunus put away his stopwatch and used his other hand to steady his gun.

"I have you now." The faunus whispered to himself as he pulled the trigger. A loud bang rang out, but he was so far away from the civilians of Vale that none of them, especially not his target would have heard. After about a second, the projectile hit true, causing it's target to slap his neck in aggravation. The man took his hand away from his neck and saw a dart in his hand, and he immediately began to panic.

The cat faunus on the roof set down his rifle and adjusted his glasses before reaching into a satchel that had been laying next to him. Pulling out a scroll, the faunus proceeded to call someone. After a few seconds, the person answered.

"Are we good to go?" The voice asked.

"Yes, Mr. Arc. The target has been tagged. You should be receiving his approximate coordinates soon. In the meantime, I will head down to our next objective and take care of the situation."

"Alright. But try not to kill anyone, Quinton. This is supposed to be a stealth mission, not a mission that ends in bloody murder." Quinton groaned at this.

"If anyone should be perturbed about such a thing happening it would be you, Mr. Arc. Now, handle things down there with Garrold. I have work to do." Quinton said before hanging up his scroll.

He then walks over to his sniper rifle and picks it up. He begins to take the weapon apart and put every piece inside of a weapon case. He stops suddenly when he hears the tell tale signs of the entrance to the roof being accessed.

"Police! Hands where I can see them!" An officer yelled from behind Quinton. He groans and messages the bridge of his nose with his pointer finger and his thumb.

"Why can't things be simple for once?"

Meanwhile, Jaune and Garrold sat in a truck. Garrold was driving and Jaune was sitting in the passenger seat. A shuffling noise behind the two made Jaune turn his head to look at the person sitting behind them. It was a man, the man from earlier that Quinton had placed a tracker on, sitting tied up with tape over his mouth. Jaune scowled at the man.

"Would it kill you to sit still? I have had my fair share of lousy captives and I'd hate to put you on the list. Sit in the middle so I can see you, stop shuffling off into the dark corners of the car like a rat!" Jaune said in an irritated tone as he adjusted his tie and straightened out a few wrinkles in his brown pinstripe suit.

A few seconds later, the captive man had moved into the center of the back seat, allowing Jaune to watch him from the rear view mirror of the truck. Garrold glared at the man through the mirror. The man shrunk back in his seat before moving towards Jaune in a futile attempt to escape the glare of the man. Jaune notices this and looks over to Garrold.

"You did that on purpose. Stop."

"I do not vant him near me. Stop trying to get him closer to me." Garrold said while glaring at Jaune. The glare does nothing to the boy as he simply adjusts his trilby and sighs.

"Fine then. I was trying to make sure he doesn't try anything. Like escaping the truck because you refuse to get the back locks fixed." Jaune states. Garrold looks away from him and towards the road.

"Ehhh, it is fine. If he does try and escape, speed of truck will probably kill him once he hits ground."

"And if it doesn't? We'd have to stop the truck and get out. Anyone would be able to see us. We aren't very unostentatious. People, especially faunus would notice two strange men trying to force another strange man into the back of a truck." Jaune replied.

"You think too much. We are in the middle of nowhere. Nobody around. See?" Garrold gestures towards the vast open fields around them. Jaune and Garrold look at each other, and then towards their captive.

A few moments pass, and the three get out of the car. A few more moments pass, and only two get back in. Garrold looks at Jaune, and Jaune at Garrold.

"Sandwich Shack?" Jaune asks.

"Sandvich Shack." Garrold replies. The two men nod at each other before Garrold starts up the engine on the truck and drives off. The remainder of the ride was mostly silent, with some small talk between the two every now and then. Nothing truly eventful happened until Quinton called Jaune.

"I take it you have finished your part of the mission early?" Quinton asks.

"Yes. We took care of him. What's happening on your end?"

"Oh a bit of this. A bit of that. I'm meeting up with Junior in his Club now. Oh, and Roman is here." Quinton replies. Jaune nods, and then thinks for a moment. He glances towards Garrold.

"Garrold, are you perhaps in any shape for alcohol consumption?" Jaune asks, a smirk on his face. Garrold glares at the boy before returning the smirk with a smile of his own.

"Alvays ready for Vhiskey. Alvays ready for alcohol." He replies simply before sharply turning the truck left. He knew where the two needed to go, and he knew he had scores to settle with a certain man named Roman Torchwick.

 **|S·P·E·A·K—E·A·S·Y|**

Quinton put away his scroll and turned his attention back to the group of men, Torchwick included, aiming their weapons at him. So much for diplomacy. Roman walked towards Quinton.

"So. What do we have here? A fellow criminal? Or a lackey?" The cocky man replied. Quinton scoffed.

"I wouldn't count myself as part of the "criminal underworld". It's a place where slobs like you and the brutes for men you have reside. That is no place for men such as myself. No. I prefer to be sat in the lap of luxury and conquest through the mind. Overweening men such as yourself show no more sophistication or eloquence than a small child. It's a shame really." Quinton says while adjusting his glasses. This had made Roman angry. But only for a second before he laughed.

"Boys, it seems like we got a "gentleman" on our hands! Ha ha!" Roman teased, much to Quinton's dismay.

"Roman, he's right. You are acting like a manchild." A sweet, savoury, and seductive voice called out.

Quinton observed the reaction of Roman. The man tensed up when the woman spoke. She must have been his superior, ergo more powerful. The woman in question made herself known as she walked out from behind the bar that Junior was currently standing at. Quinton narrowed his eyes at the woman and observed the way she moved. She was foxlike. Dangerous. Her red dress cascading over a perfectly toned, noteworthy body that men would die just to get a taste of. Or a touch. Her dark orange and hazel eyes attempted to pierce into his soul as she stared. Her face, one of sheer seductive beauty gleamed at him as he lips twisted upwards into a gorgeous smile.

The unknown woman walked up and placed a hand on Quinton, who wanted to recoil from her touch because of his need for personal space, but steeled himself and allowed the woman to play her little games. A warm sensation shot through his body as the woman touched him, and it took all of his might not to widen his eyes in shock when he recognized her power.

"I'm so sorry for my associate. He can be a little… childish at times. My name is Cinder Fall. What's yours?" Cinder asked Quinton in a honeyed tone. He inwardly groaned. She could not have been more obvious about her intentions.

"My name is Quinton." The annoyed man responds grabbing Cinder's hand and removing it from his chest, ignoring the strength she had put into keeping it there. Roman goes wide eyed and so does Junior.

"I would suggest you would stop entertaining me with such seductive movements. I can tell you aren't here for words. You don't seem the type to speak them often. I can also tell you were wary of me because your two little lackies, the green haired girl and the silver haired man think their little illusion can fool me." Quinton says as he looks over to a slightly discolored area of the room, correct in his assumption as the two minions let down the illusion and faced him with shocked faces. Cinder stared the man down. She then smiled.

"Impressive. Impressive indeed. I am surprised a man of your caliber had not been reported to me." She said, dropping her silky voice for a more serious one. Everyone except Quinton knew what that voice meant, thus everyone but Quinton moved away from Cinder.

"But unfortunately for you Quinton, I do not approve of being talked down on… or disrespected. So I will have to bid you farewell." Cinder said as she delivered an attack to Quinton so fast no-one could see it. Quinton fell the ground. Dead before he even knew it.

Or so Cinder thought.

"Very tongue and cheek approach to attacking me. If I were a less experienced version of myself, I may have been hurt." Quinton says from behind Cinder.

"Now I didn't come for a conflict. I came to discuss a deal with Junior over there." Quinton gestured towards a flabbergasted Junior. Cinder turned around towards Quinton. He was currently fixing his suit and adjusting his glasses. She eyed the man. Average height at about 5'6, average build, not very bulky. Prim and proper, his hair combed neatly to the left side of his head, his formal hat covering the rest. His pince-nez glasses firmly on his nose, piercing eyes, and large black cat faunus ears on his head gave away a sense of heightened perception.

Cinder narrowed her eyes before smiling. This man had POWER. Real power. Not like Torchwick or even Ozpin. There was something about him that oozed caution. She had never felt so cautious around a person like this other than Salem. She needed to know about this 'Quinton' fellow. But for now she needed to take her leave.

"I must say that this has been very interesting." She smiles at Quinton, who returns the smile with a look of disgust.

"Very… VERY interesting. But I must go now. Roma—"

"Vhat do you mean go? You show up, attack cat man, you miss, and now you go. That makes no sense." Cinder turned towards the entrance of the club. Two more men, one dapper; dressed in a brown pinstripe suit with a red tie and white undershirt, sporting a trilby, and the other foreign and brutish. He was wearing a thick, heavy looking coat with dark green cargo pants and dirty beige boots. He also sported a golfer's hat and a face so intimidating he probably scared most people he met with trying to. Cinder wasn't most people however and paid no attention to his scowl.

"I guess these are your friends, Quinton? I suggest you tell them to leave before I personally teach them a lesson." Cinder said in an aggravated tone.

Quinton lets out a small chuckle before walking over to Garrold and Jaune.

"Jaune, you take the two tricksters who tried to use an illusion on me. And Garrold?" Quinton turns to his beastly companion.

"Torchwick is all yours." He says, causing Garrold to smile with glee.

"Vith pleasure." The man says and he cracks his knuckles. Quinton turns over to Cinder.

"Leave her to me." He says to the two men behind him, who nod and get into fighting positions. Cinder narrows her eyes.

"Hmph. You could have been an excellent partner. Too bad you have to die now." Cinder threatened. Quinton simply adjusted his glasses and stood his ground. Jaune and Garrold went for their own targets respectively, leaving him and Cinder the only ones at the center of the club.

Neither of the two made a move, both of them studious and experienced in the ways of fighting. Eventually however, Cinder had finished making her assessments and summoned a bow of ash, firing off three arrows immediately, all of which Quinton dodged.

Cinder dashed towards the well-dressed man and lashed out, swinging a small, curved dagger at him. Each and every swing missed as Quinton bobbed and weaved around the assault. He narrowed his eyes as Cinder's blade flew directly towards his face. As soon as it was about to make contact with his forehead, Quinton swipes the attack to the left before tripping Cinder. She falls to the floor and rolls to her left, barely missing a punch from Quinton. The angered woman gets up and sends a wave of fire towards Quinton, who dodges the attack and pulls out his secondary pistol. He fires a few shots at Cinder, who blocks them with her hands.

"That's a first. You must have particularly strong aura. This will be a challenge indeed." Quinton says as he puts his pistol back in his suit jacket and throws a quick jab at Cinder, who dodges the attack and slashes at Quinton's waist with her dagger. She misses the attack thanks to the man's speed, and ends up on the ground yet again as he speeds around her.

"What… why can't I hit you!? You cannot possibly be more skilled than I!" Cinder screams as she sends a flurry of flames towards Quinton, who simply deflects it all with his hand towards the roof of the club causing an explosion.

Quinton once again charges at Cinder and unleashes a flurry of punches and jabs, none of them connecting as Cinder dodges them.

Meanwhile Jaune and Garrold are facing their own problems. Jaune with the two unknown helpers of Cinder, and Garrold with Torchwick.

Garrold smashes a beer bottle into the face of Roman, who goes flying from the sheer force of which he was hit.

Jaune dodges two kicks delivered by the silver haired boy and narrowly dodges a dagger swing from the green haired female.

"Emerald, this guy is quick." The silver haired boy calls to his companion. Emerald smirks.

"Not fast enough, Mercury." Emerald says as she lashes out with her green kusarigama revolvers, firing one and slashing at Jaune with the other. Jaune uses his cane to block the speeding bullet. He twists to his left, avoiding a kick from Mercury and narrowly avoiding yet another quick attack from Emerald. Jaune flips away, firing a shot from his cane, which misses Emerald and Mercury. Landing elegantly on a table, Jaune sighs.

"You made me waste a bullet."

While Jaune was busy fighting Emerald and Mercury, and Quinton was busy having the time of his life fighting Cinder, Garrold was locked in a tense bout of punches between him and Roman.

"Nice to see you can still pack a punch, Garrold!" Roman says as he blocks a fist from the burly man in front of him, gritting his teeth as he felt his aura deplete from such a powerful blow.

"It is good to see to can still take a punch! Or can you?" Garrold slides around Roman and punches the man in the back of the head, sending him flying once again. Roman lands behind the bar next to Junior, effectively breaking a plethora of bottles. Junior curses.

"Can't you all take this shit outside you are ruining my club!" As soon as he says this, an explosion following by the tell tale sounds of a roof partially collapsing could be heard. As well as some terrifying laughter. Roman, Junior and Garrold all turn to see who was making such a horrible noise. Dust covered the entirety of the club, the only areas that could be clearly seen were the areas that the roof had caved in, allowing moonlight to shine through. And on top of the rubble was a cat.

A cat laughing like a maniac. A cat known as Quinton.

"YES! THIS IS ASTOUNDING! NEVER BEFORE HAS MY HEART YEARNED FOR SUCH NEFARIOUS ENJOYMENT! OH THE VEX OF THE WITCH INCLINES MY SOUL TO RAGE ON WITH FIRE AND VOCATION IN MANSLAUGHTER! Now… how about a little game? Of Cat… and Mouse?" Quinton looks towards a confused Cinder with a genuine smile. One that scared the hell out of everyone around him except Garrold, who was simply freaked out.

Quinton spared no time to hear the answer to the question he had asked as he seemingly teleported in front of Cinder, delivering a swift kick to her face, sending her careening out of the building and into a nearby alley. Quinton ran outside, laughing and screaming 'bloody murder'.

Garrold looked at Junior and Roman.

"Garrold old pal. Care to explain your uh… new friend?" Roman says as he gets up and dusts himself off. Garrold simply shrugs before picking up his golf hat and shaking it out. He puts the hat on his head and turns towards Roman.

"He is crazy person. And crazy people are usually the ones that fight hardest." With that, Garrold made his leave to track down Quinton. Jaune on the other hand was confused. Visibly so.

The two people he had been fighting suddenly disappeared, leaving him yearning for more. Not only that, he had seen Quinton get kicked into the roof, and the man came out unscathed, save for his suit jacket, which was badly torn. He then started to monologue like a crazy person, just like Jonathan would.

"What a day." Jaune said as he turned to leave. He walked out of the club, and glanced around. It was late at night, and police sirens could be heard in the distance.

Gritting his teeth, Jaune ran for the nearest alleyway.

"Everything was going so well… then everything went to hell in a hand basket in less than 20 minutes. I swear these people will be the death of me!" Jaune said to himself as he jumped on top of a dumpster, using his already built up momentum to jump onto a wall and run on it sideways over a fence before jumping off of it and landing. When Jaune hits the ground he does a quick combat roll before planting his feet firmly and pushing himself into a sprint. Jaune then makes a sharp right, turning into another alleyway.

He stops and takes a short breath when he sees Garrold and Quinton standing by their truck. Quinton glances over to Jaune, adjusting his broken glasses.

"Jaune. Good to see you could make it here today. What took you so long?" Quinton asks, apparently back to his normal self.

"I had to run through some alleyways to get here. It didn't even take very long." Jaune said before walking past Quinton and getting in the back seat. Quinton got in the front while Garrold took the wheel. Jaune glanced towards Quinton.

"So. About that little episode. Do you want to ta—"

"No."

"Ah, I see." Jaune says as he sits back in his seat.

"What about that woman you were fighting? What happened to her?" Jaune asks. Quinton groans.

"She got away. The slippery bastard escaped my clutches."

 **|S·P·E·A·K—E·A·S·Y|**

Jaune opened the door to Jonathan's house holding a bag and a drink. He closed the door before taking a left towards the kitchen. Once he had entered the kitchen, Jaune put the bag he was carrying on a table before pulling out a chair and sitting down. He reaches into the bag and pulls out a rapped sandwich.

"Good ol' Sandwich Shack. Ahhh. I'm starving."

"I bet you are after what you and Garrold did." The voice of a disgruntled girl causing Jaune to lose his appetite. Albeit slightly.

"What now, Lily?" Jaune retorts. Lily glares at him.

"Don't act like a jerk Jaune. Jeez." She says before taking a seat in front of him.

"What did you guys do today? Shoot up bad guys? Rob a bank? Hookers, sluts, whores?" Lucy asked as she leaned in towards Jaune, her cute round face gleaming with curiosity. It made Jaune want to throw up.

"No we didn't "shoot up bad guys" or rob a bank. Definitely did not meet with any less than desirable women. No. We had some diplomatic discussions with one of our associates that's all." Jaune took a bite of his sandwich.

"For some reason I don't believe you." Lily narrowed her eyes at the blonde before pointing at him accusingly. Jaune looked away from Lily.

"Why is that?"

"Oh I don't know. Maybe it's because the only thing that was reported on the news was the fact that Junior's club was destroyed. And I believe I remember something about "nicely dressed men" fighting there as well!" Lily shoved her pointer finger into Jaune's chest. The boy leans away from the angry female.

"I have no idea what you mean." He replied. Lily graons and stands up before walking out of the kitchen. Jaune lets out a breath of relief. He then sucks that breath back into his lungs when Lily comes back into the kitchen with a tv remote. A lone TV sat on the countertop of the kitchen, a small one. Jaune sweatdropped.

Lily turns the TV on and switches to the news channel.

" _Today police are investigating the destruction of Junior Xiong's Club. So far the only suspects involved are two well-dressed men, a woman, and Roman Torchwick. The first suspect is a male cat faunus with black furred ears and pince-nez glasses. The second suspect is a blonde teen who sported a brown pinstripe suit. He also had a trilby hat on, which police have confiscated as evidence. The female suspect was reported to have been wearing an elegant red dress but so far, that is all the information that could be gathered about her. Beacon Headmaster Ozpin says that a team of huntresses in training will be helping the police look for the suspects—"_ Lily cuts the TV off and looks at Jaune, tapping her foot on the floor.

"Uh… that wasn't us?"

"Jaune, I told you to be more careful! Now you are going to have the police on your tail. Quinton as well! I'm surprised they didn't get anything on Garrold! He must have looked like an average civilian…" Lily stated as she paced back and forth.

"Well what did you expect us to do? That woman… she tried to kill Quinton. Luckily the man has skill and managed to avoid her attack but still." Jaune said as he stood up from the table and walked over to a trashcan. He threw away the Sandwich Shack bag and turned back to Lily.

"We have a policy on people who threaten us. And you know that. Even though you try to distance yourself from these things, you still end up involving yourself more often than not. You of all people should know how bad a mission can turn out." Jaune stared at Lily, observing her reaction. A grimace formed on the girl's face. She let out a long sigh before scratching her head.

"Yeah I do. Just. Be careful. You have huntresses in training on your ass now. Avoiding the police is easy. Avoiding trained students of Beacon Academy is not. Go get some sleep, Jaune. We have to be at the Blind Tiger by 6:30 tomorrow morning. Fridays are always a rush." Lily said, turning away from Jaune and walking away.

Jaune followed suit, and went to his new temporary room. Closing the door behind him and removing his suit and underclothing, Jaune collapses onto his queen-sized bed and stares blankly at the ceiling.

"I did it. I became strong… nowhere near as strong as Quinton. Or Garrold. Hell, even Jonathan could beat me. But I'm still strong enough to be in Beacon. I know it. Just one more day. One more day and I can finally go back. One more day and I can finally see my friends again." Jaune whispered to himself.

He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

He then tore them open in what felt like only a minute later, woken up by the sounds of his alarm clock. AKA, Jonathan.

"Jaune! Jauney old pal! It's time to get up! Put on something fresh! We gotta go!" Came Jonathan's trademark voice, muffled by the fact that there was a door in front of him. Cursing, Jaune tore himself out of bed and proceeded to put on a white dress shirt with black slacks and brown dress shoes.

"I'm coming, Jonathan. Just let me do my hair!" Jaune yelled before walking to the left side of his room and opening a door, revealing a small bathroom. Jaune brushed and combed his hair, then brushed his teeth and washed his face. After he dried off, Jaune quickly left the bathroom and grabbed a black suit jacket before leaving his room.

"Good to see you looking dapper today, Jaune. Quite impressive if I do say so myself." Jonathan said as he adjusted his bowtie. The two men walked down the stairs leading to the main hall of Jonathan's house.

They walked passed the front door and towards the kitchen, where Lily was busy cooking bacon.

"Good morning Lily! Have you slept well, or did you find yourself trapped in nefarious dream-speak through out the night?" Jonathan calls out to the girl who replies with a smile.

"I had a great sleep. For once I actually feel like starting the day off right by cooking for all three of us!" Lily replies with glee. Jonathan and Jaune both nod.

"Yes. We can see. Also…" Jaune starts.

"The bacon is burnt." Jonathan says. Lily looks down at her cooking in horror.

"NOOOOO! I thought I had it this time! Whyyy?" She whines as she stares at the burnt bacon stripes on the pan before her. Lily dejectedly turns off the stove and looks at the two men behind her.

"Let's just get something to eat from a restaurant. My day is ruined." A now depressed Lily says. Jaune and Jonathan share looks and nod.

"That's a great idea Lily. I was thinking Sandwich Shack." Jaune says. Jonathan nods.

"Yes. Sandwich Shack. Food for only the highest class of gentlemen, and only those with bountiful table etiquette, modus operandi, or a true patrician can truly dine upon the likes of the Shack." The man says, holding up one hand, his thumb and pointer fingers forming a circle, and the others going straight up.

Lily deadpans and walks towards the front door.

"Come on you idiots lets go." She says and proceeds to open the door and leave. Jaune and Jonathan proceed to follow the angry female. Jaune stopped in his tracks when he saw the car.

"Jonathan…"

"Yes?"

"Care to explain why your car has more bullet holes in it than a shooting range target?" Jaune said and gestured towards Jonathan's car. The poor thing had bullet holes in the door, the hood, and the windows.

"Ah that…" Jonathan began but was cut off by Lily.

"Him and I got into a bit of trouble with the White Fang. Not on purpose mind you. Wrong place, wrong time." Lily said as she got in the backseat. Jonathan took the wheel and Jaune sat in the passenger seat.

"Try not to get killed Lily." Jaune retorts. Lily huffs and kicks the back of Jaune's seat.

"I should be saying that to you, doofus! You could have gotten killed yesterday!" She yells.

"But I didn't. Your point is invalid." Lily grits her teeth.

"WHY YOU—YOU COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED! DON'T JUST SHRUG THAT OFF!" Lily screams in frustration. Jaune scoots away from the girl as Jonathan starts the car. He decides to chime in as he pulls out of his driveway.

"Lily. Now is not the time to focus on the 'coulds', rather, it's time to focus on the 'cans'! Like, 'can we make it to Sandwich Shack and then to work on time?'. Not all this other nonsense of people potentially getting killed by renown criminals or skewered by mysterious witch ladies. Being positive is why I wake up every morning, because if I didn't, you can be sure as hell guarantee that I wouldn't be here talking to you guys today!" Jonathan quipped while making a hard left. Lily looked at Jaune, then at Jonathan.

"You… you're right. I'm sorry. I… I just don't want to see any of you get hurt okay? You're kinda the only family I have." Lily said nervously. She begins to play with her hair as she stares out of the backseat window. Jaune lets out a chuckle.

"You and me both Lily. I honestly don't think I would I have ever achieved this much in such a short time… or any time, if it weren't for you and everyone at the Tiger." Jaune said as he turned around and made eye contact with Lily. He smiled, and then tipped his hat to her.

"You have my thanks. You as well, Jonathan." Jaune looks over to Jonathan, who sniffles and looks at Jaune.

"Aww shucks, you're going to make an old cat cry. Your thanks are much obliged." Jonathan said, wiping a mock tear from his eye. Lily giggles.

"Now then boys, let's grab us some breakfast sandwiches!"

 **|S·P·E·A·K—E·A·S·Y|**

Carol was at a loss for words. She had never expected things to go so awry. Putting down her glass of Gin, the brunette woman glances upward, towards her confidante.

"So. You mean to tell me that there was someone using… that… and they were almost on par with your skill?" She asked her partner. The man in question cleaned a glass cup and set it down on the counter of the bar.

"Yes. I believe this is something our friend Ozpin should know about. I know he likes to hide secret toys away from the world's view, and this will fall into his little… chess game… Very nicely." The man said as he exited the bar area and sat down at the table Carol was situated in. She looked down at her glass.

"I take it you were at Mr. Xiong's establishment yesterday then, weren't you Quinton?" Carol probed. Quinton simply stared at her.

"Yes. I was. But it was to discuss our flow of Dust coming in through his Club, not to fight some random wench. I predicted Roman would be there so I stayed on my guard. I did not, however, anticipate that he would see me as some sort of undercover cop plundering for information." Quinton said as he lifted up a tea cup and took a quick drink.

"That is understandable. Be careful next time, though. I worry for you. Not your safety, but the damage you can cause when you get into a really tense fight with someone on your level. It's only happened once before, but that was a disaster in itself." Carol replies to Quinton. The man stares at he again before leaning back in his seat.

"I try to control that, you know. It makes it hard to use my semblance if I don't."

"Your semblance? I've never seen you use it." Carol retorts and takes another sip of her favorite drink.

"I've never met anyone strong enough to warrant my use of it. I test it out against Grimm while I'm out and about however. Just to make sure I don't get rusty."

"Are you saying that the woman you fought didn't warrant the use of your semblance?"

"Yes. She was nowhere near strong enough to prompt me to use the dastardly thing. No one but Amber has ever made me use it, and that was years ago." Quinton rose from his seat. He walks over to the bar and begins to pour himself more tea.

"It is a gift and a curse, Carol. Having so much power. This is why I tend to stay out of melee conflict, and focus on ranged battles. It is easier to control myself. Plus, my semblance makes me indomitable. That takes the fun out of fighting." Quinton walks back to where Carol was sitting and set down his cup.

"I believe that I made a mistake. One of many. But I do not care. It's hard to when you are unstoppable." He says as he sits down and sips his tea. Carol eyes the man.

"You'll meet someone stronger than you one day." She says. Quinton raises an eyebrow.

"Of course I will. And once that happens, I'll be the happiest kit alive."

The doors to the Blind Tiger opened suddenly. Quinton looked at the people who had arrived. Four girls. The first of them dressed in an old gothic style dress, black and red in color, with a large red scarf and a hood. She was particularly short and young looking, leading Quinton to believe she was the youngest. The second girl was older, and looked more mature. She wore a white top, with a black vest over it. Her white pants were tucked neatly into long black boots. There was a bow on her head that caught Quinton's eye however, as it slightly twitched every few seconds. The movements were minuscule, but they tipped Quinton off about what the girl was hiding.

Movingly from the second female, Quinton's eyes roved on to the third. He instantly recognized the girl. Weiss Schnee. He had attended her last concert in Atlas, and could say he was impressed. He moved on to the final female. She was wearing… less than desirable attire. Short shorts, with long brown boots and a small shirt, most likely a crop top, covered by a brown jacket. She had exceedingly long blonde hair and had large golden gauntlets on her hands.

"Yang. Are you sure this is the place?" Weiss asks Yang. She nods.

"Yup."

"And how can you be so sure?" Weiss asks. Yang smiles and points at Quinton.

"Because we got our first suspect. Right. There." The four girls look at Quinton, who returns the favor with a glare.

"And you four are?" Quinton asks as he stands up from his chair, calmly putting his cup of tea down.

"We're team RWBY! From Beacon Academy!" The younger girl says in an annoyingly happy tone.

"Team RWBY? That sounds hideous."

"Hey! I like it…" The young girl says quietly.

"What are four students from Beacon doing here?" Chimed in a new voice. The four girls, as well as Quinton and Carol turned their heads towards the back door. There stood Jaune, Jonathan and Lily. The four girls seemed particularly interested in Jaune however, as they lost interest in Quinton completely.

"Jaune?" The younger girl said as she walked towards the boy. Jaune scratched the back of his head.

"Hello Ruby. Long time no see, huh?" Jaune replied. He put down his Sandwich Shack bag and walked towards Ruby.

"I… I'm so sorry for what I said back then I—"

"It's understandable. Your reaction. My reaction to it however… was not so. I should have tried to be more mature. Now. Don't tell me you managed to track me down because you wanted to apologize." Jaune said. Ruby looked at him nervously.

"We were sent here on a lead. We are looking for the suspects who were involved with the whole… Junior's Club being destroyed thing. Ozpin told us a great place to look would be at a place called "The Blind Tiger"." Ruby says. Weiss joins in after Ruby finishes.

"It is nice to see that you took Ozpin's advice Jaune. It proves you aren't a complete dunce. However, you are a suspect in our investigation, as well as that man over there. You have to come with us." Weiss states. Jaune's gaze hardens when he hears her words.

"Are we being arrested? Or brought in for questioning?" Quinton asks. Yang looks over to him.

"A bit of both for now. Luckily for you two, Ozpin specifically asked for you. So instead of going to a police station, you'll be escorted by us, of course, to his office in Beacon. Sound good?" Yang smiles at Quinton. He scowls and looks over to Jaune.

"Are you okay with this, Mr. Arc?"

"I am." Jaune replies.

"Then so be it. But be warned. If one of you four try anything, I WILL. Kill all of you." Quinton threatens as he walks over to the front door of the Blind Tiger. He grabs his suit jacket from a coat rack and puts it on.

"Shall we be off?" He asks.

The four girls stand still, all of them on edge by the man's threat. Eventually Weiss speaks up.

"Yes, we are." She says quickly. Quinton nods and walks out of the door. Team RWBY leave next, followed by Jaune.

Jonathan, Carol, and Lily remain in the Tiger, confused to what had just transpired.

"Soo uh… one of you ladies know what just happened?"

Carol and Lily look at each other and roll their eyes.

* * *

 _ **I hope all of you ladies and gents enjoyed this episode of The Blind Tiger Speakeasy. Tune in for next week's episode, and as always, stay classy. Ta Ta~**_


	4. Episode 4: Return to Form

**The Blind Tiger Speakeasy**

Episode _4: Return to Form_

It had been an interesting month for Jaune. No one could tell him otherwise. He had been to various places around Remnant, he had seen things that most people could only dream to see, and he had met all walks of people. The danger was only an added bonus. Now that he had done all of that, said all of what could be said, experienced the things unknown, could he truthfully say that he felt good about walking back into the familiar office of an illusive man who ran a prestigious academy? He probably could've, if he didn't have four angry females behind him, questioning his position in life. It was only natural that they would, considering the fact that he was involved with the destruction of a much respected club and was now considered a wanted criminal by the police of Vale. All in all, he was not in a preferable situation. The blonde boy glanced to his right, observing how his partner in crime, Quinton, was fairing in the situation.

He appeared to be bored, as always. Jaune looked forward, towards a certain white haired man who sat calmly at his desk, staring at the two. On top of the desk sat a scroll, it's holographic screen displaying information on the events that had occurred the night previous. The man, known as Ozpin to all, sat back in his seat, drinking a bit of his coffee.

"You two have caused quite the fuss. Care to explain why?" Ozpin asked. He leaned forward and eyed the two well dressed men in front of him.

His eyes drifted to Jaune. Ozpin observed the changes that had occurred in the boy. His hair was neatly combed and lightly oiled, his shoulders were more broad and were no longer slouched. His posture had become near perfect, as well as his stance. The one thing that captivated Ozpin the most, however, was the look in Jaune's eyes. That confidence, that sureness of self, was no present in them before. Jaune was dangerous. Not so much so as the devil standing next to him, but much more so than his students at Beacon. Ozpin raised an eyebrow when he went a full minute of his own thoughts without ever hearing a reply to his question.

"Have you two nothing to say?" He asked. The two men in question looked at each other, then back at Ozpin. The man to the right of Jaune decided to speak.

"Well, Ozpin. I expected our reasons to be wholly perceptible from the information you have managed to procure from the media. I, nor Mr. Arc, should have to elucidate the situation further." Quinton spoke. Ozpin held back a smile. It was definitely the same person he had known for a time.

"I'm glad to see you haven't changed at all, Baxter." Ozpin said, hiding his smirk within his coffee mug while he took a sip of the brew.

Quinton fumed.

"What have I told you, time and time again Ozpin? Do NOT call me by my last name!" The man shouted. Ozpin chuckled.

"It really is the same you. And to think, its only been a decade."

"A very short one, if you ask me." Quinton spat. He looked over to Jaune.

"You talk to this buffoon. I have important business to attend to." Quinton says through grit teeth as he began walking away.

"I know you are busy, Quinton. Unfortunately, however, I cannot let you and Jaune leave just yet. You two and whoever you were in conflicts with caused at least five hundred thousand lien worth of damage to Junior's Club." Ozpin said as he stared at the two of them. Quinton scoffs.

"Five hundred thousand? I was counting a million at the least."

"He had insurance. It covered half of the costs." Ozpin replied. Quinton sighs and walks back towards the man.

"I can pay for the damage out of my own pocket if it will get me out of this… stale place. Would that be acceptable?" Quinton inquired. The four girls behind the men all collectively widened their eyes.

"How would a single man be able to afford such a costly thing as that?" Weiss asked. Quinton looks back at the heiress.

"Unlike my associates, I am not poor drabble. I can easily afford something as simple as this." He states before turning back to Ozpin.

"So, Ozpin. Is it a deal? I have certain prerequisites that need attending."

"I will allow that if you can truthfully afford this. Which based on our previous dealings, I have no doubt in your ability to pay for expensive things." Ozpin taps on his suit. Quinton gives a solemn nod.

"I'm glad you remember that." He says as he takes a checkbook out of his suit jacket and a pen from his pocket.

The faunus man scribbles some information down on one of the pages and rips it out, handing it to Ozpin.

"I added extra. Garrold broke a few bottles of expensive spirits in his tussle with Roman."

"I know. I was the one who got a hold of the club footage first, after all." Ozpin says as he accepts the check. He pulls out his own check book and neatly places the check inside before putting it away.

"Now then. On to our next order of business. Quinton, can you give me your thoughts on Jaune at this moment? Compared to his former state of being, has he improved?" Ozpin probed. Quinton adjusted his glasses.

"Yes, surprisingly enough, he is the easiest trainee I have ever had to teach. From day one I could tell he had potential. And now, he IS the potential he once was. He has even more room to grow as he gets older, yes, but he is more capable than any student in this academy to handle the harshness of the world. He has seen it. Not it full, but enough of it. But if you want statistics on how much he has changed, I would say that his combat skills have increased by two hundred and twenty eight percent, considering how bad he was at shooting a weapon and how lack-luster his melee skills were. His cognitive ability has improved by a respectable fifty seven percent, and his eloquence has improved by a staggering ten thousand percent." Quinton said. Ozpin eyed him.

"Are those statistics real?"

"No, but they make me sound smart." Quinton joked. Ozpin chuckled, as well as Jaune. Team RWBY just stood in confusion.

"Is there like… some sort of inside joke going on here, or am I just stupid?" Yang said. Quinton glanced back at her.

"Both."

"WHY YOU LITTLE—" Yang was cut off by Weiss putting a hand over her mouth.

"Yang, learn to take a joke. Even if it is just a badly disguised insult." Weiss shot a small glare at Quinton, who did the same. Weiss instantly looked away when he did.

"Ehem." Quinton clears his throat.

"Back to the main topic at hand. Jaune Arc has improved on all fronts. I do recommend an extended stay at the Tiger, even if it is part time, for extra training. But he is definitely ready to come back to Beacon." He said. Ozpin nods.

"Then so be it. Jaune, you have impressed the most difficult to impress man that I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. I didn't expect this at all, but I'm glad it happened, you meeting Quinton. I don't how you would have turned out if that pancake fellow—"

"Jonathan" Quinton quipped.

"—Had trained you. He is… very eccentric. Alas, I am a man of my word, so, Mr. Arc, I, Ozpin, Headmaster of Beacon Academy, formally welcome you back. You and Quinton, as well as ALL of the members of RWBY are dismissed." Ozpin stated.

Jaune let out a breath of relief.

"Thank you, Headmaster. I won't squander this second chance."

"I know you won't. Now if you'll excuse me, I have business to attend to." Ozpin then stood up and walked to the elevator. He glances back towards the other six people in the room.

"I probably should have waited to do that little outro. Oh well. Too late." Ozpin says as he gets on the elevator, closing the doors almost immediately before anyone else could join him. Quinton groaned.

"Of course. I should have known he would do something mildly annoying." He said.

"Yeah, well… it's Ozpin we are talking about here. His job is to be mildly annoying." Jaune replied, to which Quinton reacted to with a frown.

"Yes I know, but he could at least do it on his own time!"

"Every time is his time, buddy." Jaune leans against a wall. He lifts his eyebrows a bit when he realizes there are four quiet females in the room staring at him.

"Uh… hi?" He says. No reply. Jaune narrows his eyes.

"Girls? What are you—" Jaune is cut off by a red ball of Ruby smashing into him.

"OHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHHH! JAUNE YOU DID IT! YOU MADE IT BACK AND PASSED THE… the uh… hmmm. What exactly were you tasked with doing anyway?" Ruby said, hugging on to Jaune's waist and looking up at him. Jaune glared at a now smiling Quinton.

' _You are own your own, morsel.'_ Quinton signaled through intricate eyebrow movements. Jaune curses to himself before looking down towards an admittedly adorable Ruby Rose, who was still cuddling him.

"Training. I had to show a specific amount of improvement or get a recommendation from one of the more experienced folk over at the Blind Tiger." He said to her.

"You mean that bar we went to earlier?" Yang asked. Jaune nodded.

"Yeah. I work there." Weiss narrowed her eyes.

"What type of work did you do there? And how would bartenders know advanced combat? And why would Ozpin suggest you go work at a bar of all places? Why not send you to an actual training facility? There are plenty in Vale so I don't see why he didn't just send you to—" Jaune raised a hand and signaled for Weiss to stop talking.

"Weiss you are asking too many questions. I counted four questions that were thrown at me in less than thirty seconds, of which I only have the appropriate answer to one." He stated clearly. Weiss scoffed.

"Answer that one then."

"I was a bartender. That's it. I was trained by Quinton, who does not work at the Blind Tiger, he is simply an affiliate and a friend of the current owner. His profession lies elsewhere." Jaune replied. Weiss looked over to Quinton and stared at him.

"Uhm… what do you… do? What are you other professions?" Weiss asked nervously.

"I want to know what you do as well, Mr. Stuffy." Yang said with a smirk.

"OOOHH ARE YOU LIKE A WAITER OR SOMETHING?" Ruby squealed, still holding onto Jaune with a steel grip.

"Are you with the White Fang?" Quinton's ears twitched. He looked at the girl who had asked him the question; Blake Belladona.

"I am not. I particularly loathe those animals. They make my life more difficult than it should be at times. Why do you ask?" Blake looked towards her feet.

"I just wanted to know." She said. Quinton stared at the girl.

"Horrid answer, but duly noted. As for my profession." Quinton looked at all four of the members of team RWBY to make sure they understood that they were all being addressed.

"I am nothing short from a criminal. The best, of course." He says simply.

"A criminal? What… what did you do to Jaune?" Yang asked as she walked up closer to the man, intending to threaten him. Quinton frowns.

"Oh, nothing much. I just beat him around until he figured out how to dodge. Then I dodged until he figured out how to hit. It is that simple." Quinton said while looking directly into Yang's eyes. Before Yang could respond, the sounds of an elevator door opening cut her off.

The six people in the office turned towards the door, only to see Ozpin being held by Glynda, who immediately let go of him when she saw that she had an audience.

"What are you people still doing in my office?" Ozpin asked. Quinton ignored him, while Jaune shrugged. The girls of team RWBY were silent.

"Get out."

 **|S·P·E·A·K—E·A·S·Y|**

"Jauney! Jauney!" Nora yelled as she hopped and skipped around the dorm room.

"I'm SOOOOOO glad you're back! It was boring without our fearless leader to back us up! Luckily we were kept out of official missions so you didn't miss out on anything!" Nora said excitedly. Jaune let out a breath as he stared at her.

It felt good to be back. But by Gods, he forgot how annoying Nora was.

As if he had heard the boy's thoughts himself, Ren hopped into the conversation. Not literally.

"Nora, Jaune just got back, give him time to settle in." Ren said while trying to get Nora to calm down. Jaune smiled at this.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and looked at who it belonged to.

"I'm so glad you're back Jaune… I missed you. We missed you." Pyrrha said as she pulled Jaune into a tight hug.

"I missed you all as well. I take it nothing has happened since I left?"

"No, nothing. Ozpin made it so we did not have to do anything besides our school work, if we wanted. So we haven't really been doing anything." Pyrrha replied.

Jaune scratched his chin. This was no good.

"Are all of you still in shape?" Jaune asked.

"Of course silly! We made sure to keep on training so we can stay in tip-top shape! Isn't that right Renny?" Nora exclaimed as she shook Ren.

"Yes! Yes! That's righhht—stop shaking me!" Ren yelled as Nora began to vigorously shake the boy. Eventually Nora stopped, leaving Ren completely discombobulated. Pyrrha held back a stifled laugh and Jaune simply shook his head and smirked a bit.

He turned over to his bed and sat down.

Jaune let out a long sigh and laid back.

"So Jaune…" Pyrrha began. Jaune glanced over to Pyrrha, who had taken a seat next to him. He sat up.

"Yes, Pyrrha?"

"What did you do while you were gone for a month? Other than train, of course." She said. The blonde boy next to her groaned inwardly. He hated lying to his friends, he really did. But his true job at the Tiger had to stay hidden. For now.

"I was a bartender at a nice place in downtown Vale. I needed money something fierce when I was kicked out, and a place to stay as well. Thankfully one of the employees let me stay with them for the month." Jaune replied, cherry picking his words carefully. Pyrrha nodded at his response before standing up.

"You have to take us to meet that kind person when you get the chance. And It's good to have you back with us! I am definitely looking forward to sparring with you to see your improvement!" Pyrrha exclaimed with fervor, much to Jaune's amusement.

"Oh believe me, I'm looking forward to that." Pyrrha smiled at Jaune before giving him a hug. She let go and started walking to the door.

"It looks like we might have a chance to see you spar today, though. We still have classes and its only 7 am. Let's go!"

Pyrrha opened the dorm door and left, followed by Ren and Nora. Jaune, however, stayed behind for a bit and gazed at the dorm he had worked so hard to get back into, only to find that it seemed so much smaller than he remembered.

' _'it seems like only yesterday I was sitting in this room surrounded by people I barely knew. Now those same people are like family to me. Family that I worked hard to get back with. Family that I will never betray ever again, even if it means going toe to toe with the devil himself.'_

Jaune looked at the ceiling and then at the floor. He took one last breath of roomy air before walking outside of the dorm. He closed the door behind him, and walked towards professor Port's classroom.

"It feels good to be back."

 **|S·P·E·A·K—E·A·S·Y|**

Two masked men were in a car going a hundred miles per hour down a busy freeway. Behind them followed two more cars, both containing very angry men with very dangerous weapons.

"Uhhh, Garrold old friend, it seems we have a little bit of a problem—"

"Shut up."

"I would but there's this small problem that involves people with guns who want to kill us and are now chasing us through out Vale via car." Jonathan stated.

"This is your fault. You and your big mouth." Garrold said angrily as he glares at the man sitting next to him. Jonathan rubbed the back of his head.

"I didn't think they would get mad over a gift. It was a nice cactus."

"You never give the Savinski's cactus gifts. It is great offense. And that's not ALL you did. You tried to sell fake dust to them!" Garrold yelled as he jerked the steering wheel to the right, sending their vehicle drifting into another lane. Jonathan put his hand on his hat to prevent it from falling off his head.

"How was I supposed to know that it was just Creole seasoning? It's not like I could have opened the package to see if it was real!" Jonathan fell to the left and hit his head on the left car door when Garrold decided to make a sharp turn to avoid traffic.

The large man gripped the steering wheel and turned it to the left viciously. Garrold glanced at the rear view mirror. Two cars, both of them black, Porsche models, with two gunmen aiming out of the left and right back seat windows. He looked forward, and analyzed the street they were on. A straightway that was most likely 3 miles long. It led to an intersection where traffic was particularly dense, which gave Garrold an idea. A really bad idea.

"You should have went to our source! Not to random mudok from the east!"

"Well, Mrs. Carol only gave me two thousand lien! Our old source said that since the White Fang and Roman have been robbing dust stores and stealing shipments, prices for the illegally smuggled dust was going way up! There was no way we would be able to afford the new prices…" Jonathan trailed off when he saw a car pull up next to them quickly, a man with a gun aiming directly at him. Jonathan ducked quickly, narrowly avoiding a dust infused bullet.

"Uhh Garrold!?"

"I KNOW!" Garrold shouted. He looked to the side, and let out a growl. He turned the car and crashed it directly into the other one sending it careening into oncoming traffic, causing a car pile up. Jonathan winced.

"I feel kinda bad for those people… they were probably just enjoying their day, unaware of the large underground drug railway that funds about half of all illegal trade. It's sad really."

Garrold floored the gas, sending there car flying passed the intersection and into the opposing side of traffic.

"Oh what I wouldn't do for the simplicity of normality and the lack of all formality. Chugging along each day as if were just another minute working a boring office job. A train of mediocrity and democracy fueled by a governmental system bent on hypocrisy that leaves most stranded in the wind—the savoir faire of the amicable amiable gentle yet feeble men and women of Vale seeming far of to me as I trudge through my own existence without care." Jonathan sang, looking out of the car window at civilians observing the chase in progess.

A bullet whizzed by Garrold's face. He looked back and growled before pulling out a Colt .38 pistol from a holster on the side of his car seat and peaked out the window. He fired two shots, one at the tire of the car of their assailants, and one at the assailants themselves. Both bullets struck true, sending the car drifting off to the side and into a pedestrian vehicle. Garrold looked back at the road.

"Ahhh, to think that we all URK!—" Jonathan choked as Garrold grabbed his throat.

"Shut up."

"Okehh." Jonathan said through choked breaths. Garrold let go of the man sitting next to him before turning his eye back on the road.

With one hard turn of the wheel, he was back on the right side of traffic. Police sirens rang out, and Garrold groaned.

"Vhen we get back, I am drinking all of reserve vhiskey." He said as he shifted the car into a different gear and speed off in the opposite direction.

Police cruisers started their chase on the two, but luckily they had a head start as Garrold maneuvered the car through traffic and into a random alleyway.

"Get out of the car, grab the lien, and let's go." Garrold told Jonathan. He handed the man a pair of gloves, which he put on quickly.

Jonathan grabbed a suitcase full of lien and got out of the car before opening the trunk. He set down the suit case and pulled out a grenade.

"Plan B?" He asked. Garrold nodded. Smiling, Jonathan pulled the pin of the grenade and tossed it under the car.

He grabbed the suitcase and ran away from the car, further down the alleyway. The following explosion sent Jonathan lurching forward a bit, but did not knock him off of his feet.

"Where are we going to go now? I have no idea where we are… nor do I have my scroll." Garrold glanced at Jonathan as they ran.

"Ve vill figure out something. For now, run." He said as the two turned a corner and bolted down another alley.

Soon enough they were back in pedestrian territory, where police sirens could still be heard. The two took off their masks and gloves to avoid suspicion.

"Another mission well-done, and another batch of evidence destroyed. We, are on a roll, my good friend." Jonathan nudges Garrold.

"This mission was not well-done. It was more… ehh… under-done. Not finished properly. Because of big mouth." Garrold replied. He punched Jonathan in the arm and let out a sigh. The man winced at the attack he had just received.

"Ow. You hit me kinda hard there buddy."

"Do not vorry, I vill punch you in face when we get back to Tiger." Jonathan smiled and looked ahead of him. He then stopped smiling.

"Wait, what?"

"Vhat?" Garrold looked away from the man walking next to him. He was catching on too quickly for his tastes.

"So now what are we going to do, ol buddy ol pal?" Jonathan asked. Garrold replied with a shrug.

"I do not know. It is only 10 am. Ve usually are not done so early." Garrold starts to think.

"How about ve go and get… snack? That would be pleasant? No?"

"That'll be great! Where do you want to go? There are probably tons of places around here that serve _splendiferous_ snacks and other foodstuffs." Jonathan inquired. Garrold rubbed his chin and pulled a scroll out of his heavy jacket.

He begin to search the area for decent places to eat.

"Is Mick Dondald a good option?" He asked Jonathan.

"If you want Mick Diabetes, then yes."

"How about uhh… Quack in a Box?"

"More like, "our food is the epitome of unpalatable drabble"." Jonathan said with a disgusted look on his face. Garrold hummed to himself.

"TGI Tuesdays? No no. No one eats out on Tuesday. Absurd." Garrold says as he flips through different restaurants.

"What about Monsieur Droit?" He asks. Jonathan grabs his chin and thinks.

"Yeahhh… I'm feeling a bit fancy today. Invite Quinton too, I know he doesn't do any of his psychopathic murder stuff on Fridays." He said. Garrold nods and calls Quinton. After a few moments, Quinton answers.

"Yes, Garrold?"

"Me and Jonathan are going to Monsieur Droit. Do you vant to come with us?"

"It's 'Jonathan and I'. Get it right. And yes, I find that establishment sublime. I will meet you there shortly." Quinton says before hanging up.

"Alright, ve have stuffy cat man."

"Then let us be off!"

 **|S·P·E·A·K—E·A·S·Y|**

Jaune Arc keenly observed the fight between Blake and Ren. It was an interesting combination, more so than watching Cardin lumber around and drag his weight across the floor in a horrid fashion. The way the two danced around the arena, dodging each other's attacks and staying quicker than wind, was absolutely captivating.

The blonde boy watched, breath bated as he witnessed Ren dodge a very fast attack from Blake, who spun around and attempted to launch Gambol Shroud at the green clad boy, only to miss again as Ren evaded with a grace akin to a ballerina before firing off a few shots from StormFlower. Blake creates after-images of her self, then vanished for a few seconds, leaving Ren without vision of his target. Blake reappeared suddenly behind Ren and delivered a meaty sneak attack to the boy, causing him to fall forward. Ren catches himself however, and instead of falling on his face he falls into a roll and quickly gets up. He turns around and fires StormFlower only to find that Blake was not there. The boy spins around just in time to catch Blake in the act of attacking him and blocked it.

Ren jumped back from Blake and checked his aura. He was down into the yellow, but so was she. Her aura was higher than his however on the count that her attacks packed more punch. Ren had to finish the fight before it dragged on to long. Taking a deep breath, he put himself in a melee combat position and steeled his mind and body. Blake ran towards him. Ren delivered a strike aimed directly at her midsection. Blake dodged this, and slashed Gambol Shroud to his left side.

Ren smiled.

Falling into his trap, Ren stepped back into the attack, letting Gambol Shroud slash in front of him before he delivered a brutal aura infused blow to Blake's side. Blake fell forward and smashed into the floor.

"Enough! The winner of this match is Lie Ren. Ms. Belladonna. Next time, do not charge in on a foe who uses opportunity to strike, that is the very reason why a lot of skilled Huntresses and Huntsman die in combat. Mr. Lie, work on your stamina. You get exhausted too quickly because of your aura use. Either cut back on it, or condition your body to be able to handle it."

Ren walked over to Blake and offered her a hand. She took it.

"You did well, Blake. I would have lost that battle if you had been a little faster." He said. Blake smiled.

"Yeah, I'm working on that. You did fine as well, though your stamina is a problem. You are winded and I am not, and I was moving constantly. Maybe we could train together, both of our teams. You know, celebrate Jaune's return and improve our combat skills?" Ren smiled.

"I think everyone would enjoy that." He said as the two walked out of the arena. Blake sat next to Yang, and Ren next to Nora. Jaune was sitting next to Weiss and Pyrrha, and Ruby was next to them as well.

"That was an astounding fight, Ren, Blake. You both did well." Jaune said with a smile.

"Yeah! You guys did great! But you could have won Blake!" Ruby teased. Blake rolled her eyes.

"As much as I want to join in on the fun, we need to quiet down. Glynda is going to announce the next fighters." Yang said, prompting the group to quiet down a little.

"For our next combatants… we will have Yang Xiao Long…"

Yang pumped her fist into the air.

"Hell yeah!"

"Against Jaune Arc." Glydna said. Students began to whisper and murmur. Jaune had been gone for a month, and word had been spread of Jaune's "explusion". He looked over to Yang.

"You can call it quits if you want Jaune, I'll understand." Yang teased. The blonde boy scoffed.

"In your dreams. Let's go." Both teens stood up and walked towards their respective changing rooms.

Jaune let out a small breath as he took of his Beacon uniform.

"I'm fighting Yang. Yang of all people. I won't lose, but I know I'm going to take a bit of a beating here. Hopefully Quinton's training will pay off." He said to himself as he put on his black slacks and dress shirt.

He grabbed his old tattered trilby hat, and put it on. He then grabbed his white gloves and black tapered suit jacket from his locker. Once he was fully dressed, Jaune grabbed his cane, which he had named Celeri Iustitia, meaning 'Swift Justice' in an old language he and Quinton had studied on their travels. He then grabbed Clyde, the .44 magnum that had been gifted to him by Quinton a day after they first met. He holstered the weapon inside his jacket and began to walk back towards the arena. There he saw Yang walking towards the arena as well, dressed in her usual combat attire. Both of the teens stopped when they were mere feet away from each other.

"Someone's been taking lessons in style!" Yang joked. Jaune grinned.

"Someone has been taking lessons in whoring." Jaune said cheekily. Yang glared at the boy.

"Oh you're a dead man now!"

"I'm still breathing. You are wrong." Jaune replied. Yang glared at him even harder, her lilac eyes attempting to pierce his soul.

"You may begin!" Glynda yelled.

Yang dashed forward towards Jaune. As she closed the distance between the two, he stood still. Watching as she approached. This caused everyone to go deathly silent. Except for Cardin of course.

"YOUR DEAD JAUNEY BOY!" He yelled from the other side of the arena. Jaune inwardly groaned. He thought that a month away would make Cardin forget about him. That did not happen, unfortunately.

Jaune twirled left, barely avoiding a punch from Yang. The angry female shifted her fist to follow Jaune and hopefully connect with his face, but to no avail. The boy simply ducked under the attack and slide to the right, flanking Yang and delivering a quick jab to her back instead of using his cane. He then jumped back to create distance between them and glanced at their aura meters. Jaune was at one hundred percent of course, and Yang was down to eighty seven percent. He moved his head to the side. A fist flew past it. The boy leapt away from Yang once again, this time moving his hand to his jacket and pulling out Clyde. He fired a shot directly at Yang, who avoided the bullet by leaning to the side, albeit barely. Jaune holstered Clyde and landed on the ground. The two combatants stared each other down, tension building as the crowd around them watched.

"What… that… that speed! He jumped into the air and shot at Yang with some gun I didn't get to see in like a second!" Ruby said from the stands as she leaned closer to observe the fight. Her eyes then widened in shock once she saw why the two had stopped.

"He's mincemeat." Weiss chimed from the side of Ruby. All the girl could do was nod in agreement as everyone in the arena watched a single golden hair fall from Yang's head. The girl screamed and burst into flames, a frightening snarl on her face.

"YOU MESSED UP MY HAIR!" She screamed as she lunged at Jaune. The boy's eyes widened as she charged at him with deft speed.

He had completely forgotten about her semblance.

Jaune lifted Celeri Iustitia so that the far end was pointed upwards and placed his hands on each opposing side of the cane to block Yang's punch. A millisecond after he did this, the blow struck true. And explosion erupted from the arena.

"He lost. Not surprised at all." Cardin said as he sat back and laughed. Meanwhile, WBY and NPR were clutching their seats in anticipation and the steam and smoke emitted from the explosion cleared.

A still angry Yang was clearly visible as well as… well that wasn't right.

" _No way, check out his aura meter—"_

" _Is this real? How did that loser survive that?"_

" _Most excellent show, right Bill?"_

" _This is insane—"_

Murmurs from the crowd were immediately shushed when they saw Jaune walk from Yang's brutal attack unscathed.

He smiled at her.

"I forgot about your semblance. Sorry."

"What—"

"Don't hold back anymore Yang. Come at me full force. I'll try and do the same." Jaune requested as he twirled his cane around and fixed his tie. Yang smirked.

"You bet your ass I'm not holding back anymore!" Yang yelled as her semblance erupted again. She smiled and dashed towards Jaune, who did the same.

Cane met fist as the two started a fierce battle of attrition. Jaune dodged punches from Yang left and right while keeping an eye on his aura, which was now at eighty-one percent. His opponent threw an aggressive right hook, which he dodged. He returned the favor by sending a fist directly into Yang's face followed by a spin kick. Yang flew towards the opposing side of the arena and landed on her feet after flipping in the air to regain balance. She launched herself at the well-dressed boy once again, this time however, delivering a kick to his midsection instead of a punch.

Caught off guard, Jaune took the grunt of the hit. He did not get knocked off his feet however. He simply skid back a few feet before stopping and removing Clyde from it's holster. Jaune fired two dust rounds at Yang, one at her head and the other towards her legs. The girl simply moved to the side and avoided the bullets. She was immediately hit by two more however, both of them doing significant damage to her aura.

Yang let out a scream of anger as she fired off shots from Ember Cecilia. Jaune cartwheeled out of the way of her barrage and used a bit of his aura to boost his speed. He seemingly vanished and appeared behind Yang. She tried to turn and block his attacks, but it was too late. He had the high ground.

Jaune delivered two jabs and a blow from Celeri Iustitia. He then vanished and appeared in front of Yang. Jaune smiled inwardly as he used the legendary butterfly kick to send Yang into the arena wall.

"Enough! The victor here is Jaune Arc." Glynda shouted, not seemingly surprised by the boy's victory in the slightest.

Jaune walked towards Yang and kneelt down next to her.

"You gonna be okay?"

"I think you broke my everything…." Yang groaned in pain. She then lifted herself off of the ground.

"Ahh jeez. You've actually gotten good. In a month no less. Not godly, but better than most students here. If you can beat me in a battle and tank on of my hits then you've got mosey kid. I like dat." Yang playfully punched Jaune's arm.

"You could have won Yang. Two more hits and you would've had me." Jaune said as the two began to walk towards their changing rooms.

"I could have, but I didn't. I won't let this loss get me down though. Next time, we'll be evenly matched." Yang held out her hand. Jaune smiled and did the same, shaking her hand firmly.

"I'm looking forward to it."

* * *

Garrold sat back in his chair, letting out a content sigh.

"Sirs, may I get you anything else?" Garrold looked towards the voice and saw a waitress smiling at him. He sat back up in his seat.

"No ma'am. I am quite full."

"I as well." Quinton said.

"Me too." Jonathan chimed.

The woman nodded and pulled a small black book from the apron she was wearing.

"Well then, here's your bill." She said quaintly and placed the book on the table in front of the three men.

They all took a glance at the receipt. They all immediately recoiled in disgust.

"Why on Remnant does this food cost so much? I knew I should have asked for a menu instead of taking suggestions from the waitress… I have been played." Quinton says and narrows his eyes till they are no more than slits at the bill before him.

"No matter. How to you two propose we… split… the bill…" Quinton stopped every train of thought in his head as he saw Garrold and Jonathan playing Dine and Dash without him. He sighed and pulled out his check book.

"Good thing I am wealthy." He says glumly.

* * *

 _ **Another chapter brought to you by yours truly. I would to point out how much of a success this story has been and how gratifying it is to read reviews. Even if they are negative. Anyways, I am off to update Fyren. The next chapter for that should be out in about 2 to 3 days. Remember to stay savoir faire! Ta Ta~**_

 _ **Heart Sandwich**_


	5. Episode 5: Jack of Hearts

**THE BLIND TIGER SPEAKEASY**

| _Episode 5: Jack of Hearts_ |

Roman Torchwick was not having a good week. First he had been foiled by some cops while he was attempting to rob a dust shop with the 'aid' of the White Fang. That had ended in a colossal failure, since the Fang members had no formal training once so ever. But that wasn't the worst of it. No, the worst thing that happened to him were two men who knew how to dress. He gave them props for that, but everything else about them made him fume with anger. Roman grit his teeth as he thought of the one who had caused him the most trouble.

"Quinton…" He grumbled. The orange haired man scratched the back of his neck as he began to mull over who Quinton could be working for. He couldn't think of anyone. No one in the criminal underground would mess with him OR Cinder. Definitely not Cinder.

But he did. That black cat faunus Quinton not only disrespected her, he had also kicked her ass through and through. He wasn't just all talk and no bite. He was all bite and no talk. Roman scratched his chin. There was only one place that harbored people like that. A place he hadn't been to in years.

Roman laughed to himself as he took out his scroll and dialed the number of a certain mute. His scroll rang for a few moments before the line was answered.

"Meet me at the ol' watering hole. Get Cinder, Mercury and Emerald as well. They'll want to be in on this." Roman said. He hung up. A few moments later he received a text.

 **Neo:** _I got you covered. I assume we are hunting those two men who 'fucked up' your plans?_

Roman smirked.

 **Roman:** _Right on the money. I'm leaving now. Don't be late._

Roman put away his scroll, and let out a breath of relief. He looked around.

He had situated himself inside of his office not too long ago. Not many people knew he had one, and they assumed he spent most of his time inside of a warehouse. He scoffed at the thought. He may be a criminal, but he by no means lived like one when he was off the job. Roman walked past a mahogany desk and towards a coatrack by the office door and grabbed his bowler hat. He then made his way over to a wardrobe, which was also mahogany, and opened it. Inside the wardrobe were various suit jackets and dust containers, as well as his trusty Melodic Cudgel.

"I just may get to use you today, old friend." Roman whispers to himself while he eyes his weapon. He grabs it quickly, along with a long white tapered suit jacket and a silver locket. He leaves his office and enters a hallway. The beige walls and white doors reminded Roman of simpler times, times he could not remember too well for the life of him.

Letting out a small breath, the suave man makes his way to the right end of the hallway, barely paying attention to his surroundings as he leaves the hallway and ends up in an alleyway where an old black car with the letters "BL" painted elegantly on the right door resides. Roman smiles to himself and unlocks the car before getting in.

"Man. I missed this feeling…" He said as he felt the well-used leather seats and steering wheel.

The interior of the car looked almost brand new, save for a few scrapes and stains on the back window. The dark brown leather and polyester car seats reminded Torchwick of his fashion prime, years and years ago when he and his old crew would travel the city blocks of Vale in search for something to do. They would make fun of fat cats and whistle and bearcats after a Sunshine Special from their favorite bar. The Blind Tiger Speakeasy. Back when Roman was growing up, business for the Speakeasy was always hot, 24/7 work and customer orders flowed through the establishment like milk and honey. The place was the talk of Vale, even before he was growing up. His father had gone on and on about the expertise of each member at the time, and he always pushed Roman to be like them.

He had no problem with that.

Admiration was something the criminal had rarely felt in his lifetime, and each time he had, It was all because of one person. Atticus Loir. The man who owned the Tiger for almost three decades, and the man who personally oversaw all operations, both legal and illegal, happening throughout the establishment. He was a legend. But, just like Achilles, all legends had their weaknesses. No one knew who did it and how they did it, but on June 25th, Atticus was found dead in his own home, his neck snapped and his body covered in stab wounds. His death hurt a lot of people, and subsequently destroyed The Blind Tiger. There used to be fourty four establishments around Remnant, each one of them racking in millions of Lien a year. Now, there are only 2. One in Vale, and a secret branch somewhere in Mistral.

Roman shook his head. It was a shame to see such a giant fall, but it taught him a lot. The most important lesson he could say he learned from all of it was that he had to put himself first and trust no one. If one small slip up could bring down a man such as Atticus, then something miniscule could take out a man like Roman.

The sounds of an engine firing up and an old motor roaring to life pulled Torchwick out of his thoughts. He sniffed and scratched his cheek before using the stick shift of the vehicle to put it in drive. The car slowly pulled out of the alleyway it had been stored in and ended up on a dimly lit street. Night jobs were a personal favorite of Roman's, the moon cascading above while deep shadows hid things meant to be left unseen. The perfect time for a criminal like himself to exercise his skill in the profession. A ring caught Roman's ear. He used his left hand to pull his scroll from his suit jacket.

 **Neo:** _Cinder is in. Mercury and Emerald are out on some sort of job for her so they won't be around. But us three should be enough for whatever you are planning. I want in on the deets Torchi!_

Pulling the steering wheel of his vehicle slightly to the right and turning a corner, Roman glared at the message in disgust. He tapped the brakes a bit and brought his vehicle to a stop before typing a response.

 **Roman:** _I told you no nicknames. And the reason we are going to the old spot is mainly for Cinder's sake, so we can both stay in her good graces for a little while longer. We need to milk this relationship as much as we can before we jet, you dig?_

Roman hit send and continued driving. After about twenty minutes, Roman had made contact with a intersection. His scroll rang.

 **Neo:** _That's smart and all, but what exactly are we going to do? Negotiate? Destroy everything they own?_

 **Roman:** _We'll try to talk things out. And by talk things out, I mean I will TRY, and Cinder will most likely kill everyone there out of anger. Either way, this is something we have to do now that they've made themselves a threat. As much as I like the people who work at the Speakeasy, no one messes with my business OR Cinder. Especially not her._

 **Neo:** _Astute observation. We are almost there. About 10 minutes away. Where are you?_

Roman glanced away from his scroll towards the place he had parked a few minutes ago. He looked back at his scroll and began typing.

 **Roman:** _I'm already here._

 **|S·P·E·A·K—E·A·S·Y|**

All around people and faunus alike drank and danced, having merry relations and enjoying wholesome pleasantries with one another as if the world were a picture perfect scene. It would have been nice to the large man glaring at everyone if it had not been for the fact that he didn't like much of anything. Garrold looked downward to the glass cup he was cleaning. He rinsed it off under the water from a sink before placing it on the ceramic of a bar island. The cup was immediately taken up by a man who seemed to have been too drunk to talk but not drunk enough to not drink. Garrold rolled his eyes before turning away from the festivities and walked towards a shelf housing multiple different bottle of alcohol. The large man smiled before grabbing a bottle of whiskey and heading to a table. He walked passed a plethora of civilians, all of them dressed up in their sunday's best, chatting with whomever they decided to bring with them to the 5th anniversary of the Black Lamb being bought by the Tiger. Only the richest folk dared step foot in the Black Lamb, for everyone who knew of the establishment had heard of the steep prices of the alcohol and food served.

Garrold finds a lone table, of which there are very few, and takes a seat. The table is adorned in various decorations and utensils. The white silk table cloth was practically glowing because of how clean it was, and the silverware were no different. Two glasses, both of them next to a wine bottle with a red ribbon tied around its neck, sat in front of Garrold. He took the cap off the sleek whiskey bottle and drunk straight out of it. He didn't believe in using expensive cups to drink his favorite beverage.

"Enjoying yourself, I see." A sultry voice teased. Garrold smiled. He turns around to see a brunette woman wearing a silk black dress that exposed her midriff, which was adorned with various necklaces made out of expensive minerals.

"Obviously, Carol. How have things been?"

"Fine, dear. A bit stressful, but fine." Carol replies sweetly as she sits down on the other side of the table Garrold had been sitting at.

"Business has been good so far. Quinton and Jaune helped a lot, even if their ways were… less than desirable." Carol says. Garrold scratches his chin.

"I think they did good."

"Of course you did. You three are dastardly fellows." Carol teases while opening a bottle of wine. She waves it towards Garrold.

"Care for a drink?" The man before her gestured to a slim white whiskey bottle in his hands.

"I have already gotten drink. And I do not like wine." Garrold replied. Carol frowned.

"Are you sure you don't want to drink with me? You know I'm a woman of refined taste. Whiskey is a bit too harsh for me…" Carol said in a low tone with leaning forward, exposing herself to Garrold, who simply glared.

"I thought you said ve vere done. After that night—" Garrold was cut off by a finger pressing against his lips.

"I know what I said. You know my track record, honey. I'm not exactly known for keeping promises. Come, let's dance." Carol grabbed Garrold's hand before he could protest and pulled the reluctant man towards the dance floor, where plenty of other people had taken to dancing with their partners.

Garrold looked at the people around him in disgust. He never understood the purpose of dancing. To him, it was as if everyone was just flailing around like idiots. Slow dancing was an exception however, as the bulky man appreciated the intimacy behind it. Garrold glanced down towards Carol, who was looking at him expectantly.

"No." He said firmly. Carol simply stared at him.

"No. I vill not." More staring.

"Your tricks fail to effect me, vile vitch." Even more staring. Garrold looks away nervously. He looks back towards Carol, who had a particularly coy look on her face.

"Fine. But only for a few minutes." He conceded. Carol smiled.

"I knew you would come around. And luckily for you, we will be slow dancing. You were always a sucker for romance, no matter how stone cold you try to make yourself seem." She says. Carol grabs Garrold's hands and pulls him closer to her. The two stare at each other, Garrold's deep blue eyes gazing into the soft gold of Carol's amber ones.

The short brunette woman began to lean forward, wrapping her arms around Garrold's neck as he put his hands on her waist. The two began to slowly move from left to right, keeping on tempo with the new music that had began to play. A beautiful blend of balladry and classical slow jazz, the sounds of bittersweet memories flooded the two while they moved around on the dance floor. Carol smiled at the man she was holding, and he returned the favor with a small grin. The two began to pick up tempo and circle around each other, following the music and staring at each other intently, never breaking eye contact. Before long, the duo were twirling each other around and laughing, either too caught up in the moment or too happy to care about those around them. But just as fast as they came together they broke apart. Garrold stared at the woman he had been dancing with and let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding in. She had caught him in her trap once more, and once again he failed to avoid it. He knew what she was up to the entire time, yet he barely made a conscious effort to actually stop her. The man grimaced. He had always been weak when it came to Carol, and as much as he hated it, he couldn't bear to leave her alone. Being with her made him happy in ways he could never describe, or would never, rather. It was a catch 22 that Garrold constantly perpetuated, one he would never stop feeding into, not matter how much his mind screamed for him to stop. Garrold looked down towards his feet and smiled. Carol was one tasty poison.

"My my, Garrold! I haven't danced like that since Atticus first decided to take me to dance in the original Blind Tiger twenty years ago... I say. You have a way of making a woman feel young again. And there you were, saying that you don't like to dance. Or like dancing at all for that matter."

"Vell... Vhat can I say? I am feeling quite ehhh... 'chipper' today, as Jonathan would put it." Garrold replies, stroking his beard as Carol fed into his growing ego.

"Did someone call me?" The almost promiscuous air around Garrold and Carol was immediately destroyed when the familiar voice of a pancake loving sociopath butted into their conversation. The two groaned as they glared at Jonathan, who looked at them in confusion.

"Woah. why the uhh... less than happy faces? Did I do something? Was it wrong or... was it so good that you two are glaring at me because you failed to think of whatever brilliant thing I did before I could do it?" He asked as he leaned closer to them. Garrold backed away in apparent disgust while Carol simply smiled.

"You didn't interrupt anything, dear. Actually, Garrold and I were about to have some more drinks." Garrold raised his hand in protest, but Carol elbowed him in the side and gave him a strange look, to which he simply smiled and nodded.

"Uhh... yes. Ve vere about to sit down and have nice drink." Carol rapped her right arm around Garrold's left arm.

"Yes we were. Which means that there will be no one to watch Lily over at the Tiger. So if you would be so kind and head over there to make sure she's alright, that would be wonderful, dear." Carol cooed in a sweet tone. Jonathan perked up at her words and tipped his porkpie hat at the two.

"Not a porblem, mad'am! I'll check up on her real good!" He said as he turned away from them and sprinted off to the spiral staircase at the far right of the Black Lamb. Garrold glanced over to Carol.

"Check up on Lily, eh? She is bearcat. No one would dare mess with her." Carol looks at Garrold before tugging his arm and guiding him towards an empty table.

"It was the easiest way to get him to leave us be. Now sit. I was not joking about us drinking." Carol commanded. The burly man next to her sighed a heavy sigh before complying and sitting down. Carol followed suit.

"Now, while Jonathan is busy checking up on his lady friend, lets talk. Shall we?" Carol said as she raised a wine bottle and popped off the cork. Garrold smiled. He might as well enjoy the night while it lasted.

Meanwhile, far away from the festivities of the Black Lamb, Jonathan had pulled into the back of the Blind Tiger Speakeasy. He got out of his car and closed the door before walking towards the back entrance of the establishment and using his employee key to open it. He pushes the door open and takes of his suit jacket. He hangs it on a brown coat rack and closes the door behind him.

"Lily! I'm here to check up on you!" Jonathan yells. He hears some familiar groaning and sees an angry Lily peak out from under the bar and glare at him.

"Oh so NOW they send someone to help me! For fucks sake I've been here for nine hours and I've gone through a total of EIGHT customers. EIGHT. Do you know how boring it is to work here on a slow day?!" Jonathan opens his mouth and raises a finger.

"Don't you say a fucking word Jonathan or so help me I'll kick you in your stupid well dressed shins!" Lily yells as she pokes a finger into Jonathan's chest. He smiles at Lily and pats her on the head.

"Anger is understandable, Lily. Just don't aim it towards me. Especially not the yelling part. Because you know." Jonathan gestures towards his black cat ears. Lily sighs.

"I know. Its just that… sometimes I wish Carol would stop being so distant and try to fix this place up or branch us out instead of spending her days at the bottom of a wine bottle. This place rarely gets business now, and it's worrying. I love this job, Jonathan. I really do. But I may have to find another one. I'm not making a lot of money. I'm not like Quinton or you or even Garrold. You guys have been patrons AND employees at this place for over a decade. You are financially stable… you have your life all figured out. Me? I'm just some student from Atlas who couldn't make the cut and can barely make a living." Lily leans on the bar counter and looks at her feet.

"I find it hard to sit still, knowing that I could be making money elsewhere so I can repay you back for all the times you helped me and for the fact you let me stay with you and use your TV subscription. You have done so much for me Jonathan… as infuriating as you are, I don't see myself making it without you. That's why it kinda pisses me off when I come to do work here and there is literally NOTHING for me to do. How the hell am I supposed to pay you back?" Lily runs a hand through her hair before looking towards Jonathan, who was completely silent. He scratched his chin and smiled.

"You don't have to pay me back for anything. I'm not heartless, you know. Most people I meet tend to say I'm the greatest thing since sliced bread!" Lily giggles and punches Jonathan in the arm.

He winces but retains his smile and stares at Lily. The two gaze at each other for a long while before looking towards the front door of the Tiger. The bell had rung, signifying that someone was opening it. Jonathan held the top of his hat as he sprinted towards the front door to service whomever had shown up. Upon further inspection, the guest was a short girl who had brown and pink hair, eyes that were the same color, a white jacket with a brown corset beneath it, brown pants, and a fancy umbrella. Stylish.

"Welcome to the Blind Tiger! Second to none in the alcohol business! Well… was. You should know the story. Though, I must say, I've never seen you around her before. Uhm… what's your name?" Jonathan asked the strange girl. She simply smiled and tapped his nose. The man stepped back a bit and raised an eyebrow, his ears twitching.

"Her name is Neo. And she's mute." A voice quipped. Jonathan narrowed his eyes and glanced back towards Lily for a second only to see that she was sitting at a table with a cup of coffee, staring at their new arrivals intently. His smile never faltered.

"Mr. Torchwick, what a surprise to see you here of all places. Come, come! I'll get you something to drink." Jonathan said as he let Roman and Neo pass by him. Another person who he had not seen before entered with them however, a woman wearing a long red dress, the middle cut open exposing her legs. The dress was long sleeved and V necked, allowing a bit of her midriff to be seen. That didn't catch Jonathan's attention at all. What did spark his interest however, were her eyes. Dark amber in color, and piercing. The way she looked at him and the way she walked sent signals to him.

This woman must be dangerous. In some way shape or form. Jonathan turned his attention away from her and towards Roman and Neo. Both of them had taken seat at the table in front Lily, who was visibly uncomfortable with the situation. Jonathan clasped his hands together, drawing the attention of Roman, Neo, and the mysterious quiet woman sitting with them. When did she get there? She was fast AND quiet. Jonathan narrowed his eyes slightly. This whole situation intrigued him.

"So! What would you fine human beings like to drink?" He said in a chipper tone. The mysterious woman smiled.

"Bring me a glass of wine, if you so please. Roman, do you drink? I know Neo doesn't." She inquired. Roman leaned back in his seat and smiled.

"Of course I do. Its only natural. I'll have a Hardy Special. Add lemons if you have 'em." Roman said. Jonathan nodded.

"Will do. Now. What about uhh… Neo was it?"

Neo nodded.

"Great! What would you like? Type it on your scroll since you know. Mute and all." Jonathan smiled at Neo, who pulled out her scroll and begin furiously typing away. She held up the scroll so he could see.

"Neapolitan ice cream? A bit tongue and cheek wouldn't you say? Luckily for you we do have that in stock. I'll be right out with your orders. Lily, if you would be so kind as to help me find the ice cream?" Jonathan says as he gives her a look. Lily nods and stands up from her seat, leaving her coffee on the table.

"Sure. Leave it to you to forget where the basics are. Come on, ya big baby." Lily says and grabs Jonathan's arm, pulling him into the bar area and through a door leading to their foodstuff storage.

"Why is Torchwick here?" Lily askes, clearly angry over the whole situation. Jonathan sighs and grabs a bowl and an ice cream scooper.

"Probably has something to do with Garrold, Jaune and Quinton fighting him a few days ago. Roman isn't one to accept defeat easily." He walks over to a freezer and opens it, revealing 2 large tubs of ice cream. He grabs one of them and closes the freezer before putting the tub on a counter.

"I have nothing to do with his arrival. I assure you. And the people around him either. The woman in the red dress is frightening." Lily and Jonathan shivered.

"Yeah she's bad news. Let's just hope we don't get her mad. I feel like the sheer force of her anger could kill me." Lily mumbled and opened up the door to the back room and grabbed a bottle of wine. She left the room and went towards the bar where she grabbed a clean glass and poured the wine into it.

Jonathan came out of the storage room with a bowl of ice cream in one and hand and a Hardy Special; the drink came in a large martini glass and was a black color. A single lemon hung to the edge of the glass as well. Lily placed a tray on the bar counter, with which Jonathan used to hold all of the items prepared for their 'guests'. He picked up the tray and held it in one hand and left the bar and headed towards the three individuals occupying a table.

"Your drinks, and ice cream. That'll be 1250 lien total." Jonathan said as he placed the tray down. Roman whistled.

"Only 1250? Huh. Must be shabby alcohol then." Roman said as he grabbed the drink he ordered and took a sip. His eyes widened as he tasted it.

"Never mind then! I'm getting my money's worth with this one! I'm paying I guess… keep the change." Roman takes out his wallet and places three lien cards down. All of them totaled to 1500 lien.

"Thank you good sir." Jonathan bowed before placing the glass of wine in front of the mysterious woman and the bowl of ice cream in front of an elated Neo. She grabbed the spoon already buried in the ice cream and began eating it at an alarming rate.

"Sir. May I ask your name?" The woman in the red dress asked.

"Me?"

"Yes you. Who else would I be addressing?" She replied coyly. Jonathan frowned a bit.

"Oh. Uh. It's Jonathan. What's your name if you don't mind me making an inquiry?"

"Cinder Fall. But you can call Cinder." Jonathan grit his teeth.

Why did her name have to be Cinder? Why couldn't it be something fun? Like Jessie or Naomi. Even Jeff would have been a better name than Cinder Fall. Thoughts of Quinton began to play in Jonathan's head.

 _'If you ever meet a woman named Cinder Fall, nay. If she decides to come to the Blind Tiger, contact me immediately and try not to upset her with your usual antics. She is a dangerous adversary, more powerful than you and maybe even I. We are part of this infernal chess game now so let's try not to give up all our good pieces, hmm? Keep yourself safe.'_

Jonathan gulped. He had to text Quinton. He picked his smile back up and hid his worry under a cheery exterior.

"Cinder Fall huh? What a lovely name. I'm sorry to be uhh so rude but I need to make a quick call to one of the employees here. We start to get our late night patrons at this time and I don't want to be alone with Lily for another minute!" Jonathan exclaimed. Lily looked at him in shock.

"What!? You've only been here with me for ten minutes!"

"That's ten minutes too long!" Jonathan cried.

"Why you little… UGH! You are so lucky there are customers here or I would force feed you your own testicles!" Roman and Jonathan both stared at the girl, with blank faces. Cinder and Neo and smiled.

"What." Jonathan and Roman said at the same time. Lily looked away in embarrassment.

"Sorry… I temporarily forgot about the customers… that I mentioned in the same sentence…" Jonathan's smile cropped back up and he walked over to Lily and patted her back.

"It's okay, Lily. We all make mistakes. You more so than most people I know but still—"

"You little shit!" Lily yelled as she swatted Jonathan's hand away. He smiled and took out his scroll to text Quinton before he forgot, but his plans were ruined by a particular man.

"Alright. Play times over. Drop the scroll, Johnny boy." He said as he aimed Melodic Cudgel at the two. Jonathan turned around towards Roman, a smile still plastered on his face. He complied and placed his scroll down on the table in front of him. Lily grabbed hold of Jonathan's arm in fear.

"Play time? I never got any word of play time. Unfortunate. I would have loved to play a game of whiskey dive with you Roman." Jonathan quipped, causing Roman to smirk.

"I don't know what it is, but there's something I like about you. All the more reason for you to drop your act and sit down over here with us. Or your friend over there gets a little taste of the tail end." Roman tapped the end of his Cudgel on the ground. Lily gripped Jonathan's arm tightly. He looked down at her and removed her hands from his arm and walked over to Roman.

"There's no need for threats, Roman. I haven't done anything to you." Jonathan says calmly, his usual cheery tone gone.

"He's right, Roman. Threats are not needed. We can simply talk. Come, Jonathan. Sit with us." Cinder said as she stared at him intently. There was no way around the situation, and once Roman had decided to walk over and destroy his scroll, he knew that help would be delayed if things got messy.

Jonathan pulled up a chair and sat next to Neo, who he felt was dangerous but manageable unlike Cinder Fall, who was a wild card for all he knew.

"Now. Let's discuss your meddling with our plans. It was only a few days ago when two men that are tied to your establishment attacked me and Torchwick at Junior Xiong's Club. Have you any idea what a setback that was?" Cinder narrowed her eyes at Jonathan, who was staring at the table. He looked up at her, his smile gone and a hint of worry in his eyes. Cinder smirked. He surely was afraid.

"They didn't kill anyone did they?" He inquired. Cinder raised an eyebrow.

"No… they didn't." With that, Jonathan's cheery demeanor instantly returned as if nothing had bothered him. He was a very capricious fellow from what Cinder had observed so far, switching from lukewarm to cold in an instant but never reaching the edge of either side.

"Good. I was worried for a second. Murdering people isnt part of the Tiger agenda at ALL. What Quinton does for work should not reflect negatively on our fine… _decent_ establishment." Jonathan said with pride causing Cinder to raise an eyebrow.

"You know him by name? The Quinton fellow? And you say he doesn't work here?"

"Me and him are relatively good friends. Though he is a bit uppity so… and no he doesn't work here. He works for a criminal overlord or something of the like. Real dangerous guy, if I do say so myself. Do you want to hear about the time he skinned a man with a fork and butter knife?" Jonathan smiled wide as he talked and leaned closer to Cinder, who leaned away from him with a look of confusion and something akin to acute disgust on her face.

"Woah. With a fork and butter knife? Is that even possible?" Roman quipped.

"For him it is. He says anything is possible if you aren't an imbecile." Jonathan replied. Roman laughed. Cinder shot him a glare. He instantly stopped.

She turned her glare over to Jonathan, who returns the glare with a toothy smile. Cinder fumed with anger and put a hand of flames near his neck in an instant. He doesn't flinch.

"Do you think this is some sort of game, Jonathan? I could easily end your life her and now. I have no time for your petty antics! Tell me all you know about Quinton, and the other man who was with him, or you die!" She yelled. Jonathan closed his eyes and let out a breath.

"Unfortunately I can't do that. It's against company policy to reveal information about workers without their consent. Quinton is another story, but I like living so I refuse to tell you anything about him as well." He retorted, a shit eating grin plastered on his face. Cinder grit her teeth. He wasn't budging. While she could just kill him and find the information herself, that would put unwanted attention onto her as the Blind Tiger still had many associates and loyal patrons. Word would definitely spread if she just killed him and eventually someone would out two and two together.

She could not harm him unless he picked a fight first, which based off of his demeanor, he won't or realizes that he can't. Both smart mindsets to be in at the moment, but not very helpful towards his continued survival. So if he wasn't very afraid of death, how would Cinder hurt him? Easy. She smiled a terrifying smile and flung her arm to her left side, sending a huge fireball towards an unguarded Lily. The ball of flame exploded on contact and obliterated the table that had once been in its way, as well as burning the floor as well as the ceiling. Cinder smiled and looked back over to where Jonathan had been sitting only to find he was gone.

"That wasn't very nice. Lily has not unlocked her aura yet. That would have killed her. Was that your plan Cinder?" A low, playful voice piped. Cinder turned towards the voice, Roman and Neo did as well.

Jonathan stood a few feet away from the front door, clutching a frightened Lily in his arms. He let her go and ushered her to the front door. She ran to it and left the Speakeasy, sprinting as fast as she could. Lily looked back as she ran and saw a smiling Jonathan waving at her, the smile on his face wide and showing gum. His eyes were filled with a crazed glee that scared her as much as the near death experience she just had did.

Once Lily was a safe distance away, Jonathan turned back towards his three guests. Except there were only two now. Neo had disappeared. For a second he worried for his friend who had just ran, but he remembered a cheeky little detail and felt at ease. But his guests were waiting, weren't they? He had to show them a bit of a trick. A classic parlor trick taught to him by an old master of the deck. A game of black jack? No. Rabbit's Hand? Too soon. Jonathan's eyes widened in realization. He put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a deck of cards.

"Miss Fall. Mister Torchwick. I want to say this… I don't appreciate your dealings today. No no no. Not at all… they seem very avaricious. The audacity of you two, fiddling with my splendiferous disposition as if I were an instrument of your covetous doings… preposterous. Your lack of _comme il faut_ demeans me, robs me of life, robes me of my own passion… there are no dadaisms to be had here, no bountiful artwork from your labor forms, only desolation and yet you seek more… power? Is that it? Is that what you want? Yes. It must be it must be. IT MUST BE. Or maybe I am wrong. My peroration stands without applause… My labors stand unpaid… my gains stand ill gotten… am I any different from you? Maybe. Maybe… ah. Forgive me. I am rambling on about extraneous things. Let's begin, shall we?" Jonathan begins to flip the cards in his hands, the cards themselves freely gliding from one hand to another.

Roman gripped Melodic Cudgel, while Cinder stood alert. Roman wasn't joking when he said that some of the members at the Tiger held strange power. With each shift of the deck of cards, the building they were in seemed to quake and groan. Walls bent inward and outward at strange angles, the floor seemed to turn into liquid yet was somehow still solid, and the ceiling was vibrating. Tables and chairs began to float upward, and the lights of the Speakeasy began to dim out and brighten at different intervals. Cinder tried to move forward and stop the man but she could not, the floor had warped around her feet and held her in place. The same thing happened to Roman as well as he spat out curses while trying to pry his feet free from the floor. He glares at Jonathan, and then immediately adorns a look of pure terror when he sees him.

Jonathan's eyes are blood red and his pupils beady, the smile on his face so wide that the skin of his face had ripped, exposing muscle. The cards in his hands began to spin in a circle, a tiny triangle forming within it. All of a sudden, all light in the Speakeasy died out, save for the light shining through the front windows. Nothing except Jonathan and three large white squares were visible, everything else had been eaten up by the darkness around him.

" **TAKE A PEAK INTO MY WORLD, MY VISION. THE VISAGE OF A GRADUALLY EXPANDING COSMOS, THE WHISPERS OF INFINITY. I CALL THEE, OBEY THEE, MIND THEE JEST, AND PASS THE CARDS OF FATE UNTO ME. STEP INTO THE VOID AND SEE THE TRUE REALITY! AHAHAHHAAHAHA!"** Jonathan screams as the cards in his hand stop in mid air, light bursting from them. Cinder covers her eyes and so does Roman until the light subsides.

Roman peaks from between his hands. Instead of Jonathan being the most disturbing thing he had ever seen, he was knocked out in the arms of the girl who had ran off before. What was her name? Ahh it's—

"Lily… right? Uhmm… about your friend. What did you do?" The girl stared at him and backed away with Jonathan.

"I didn't do anything. I couldn't have. It was Quinton." Cinder perked up at this, her silence from the events that had just occurred broken.

"Quinton?! Where is he?" She practically yelled as she approached Lily, who struggled to keep Jonathan in her arms and back away at the same time.

"I'm here. And if you don't want the lunatic to wake up I suggest you keep your voice down." A man in a black silver trim tailcoat suit said as he emerged from the shadows of the Speakeasy.

"You wanted to speak to me again, Miss Fall? Strange. We didn't exactly end our last conversation on the right foot. I can't even say it ended on a foot at all… it was more of a stump. A bloody stump where a foot once was." Quinton put his arms behind his back. Cinder's glare dissipated.

"I did want to speak to you again… Not to fight or… experience whatever Jonathan just showed me…"

"His semblance. Horrid thing isn't it?"

"It is." Cinder agreed. Quinton looked over to Jonathan and sighed.

"What did you want me for? Do you wish to fight again?" He asked. Cinder frowned.

"No. I merely wish to schedule a time for us to be alone. And I want to know why you attacked us that night." She said. Quinton lifts an eyebrow.

"That would be exceptional. I would relish the chance to talk to a woman as… powerful as yourself. And the reason I attacked you is because you attacked me. A better framing of words would be 'why where you there'. And to answer that question before you decide to ask it, I was collecting dust from Junior. He deals to me and the Tiger from time to time." Cinder's eyes widened. Had she really made such a mistake in her grammar? She would never do that. Whatever that Jonathan fellow did to her and Roman was more effective that she had initially thought it would be. If she could have stopped him, she would have.

Yet another person on her list of people who could have been from a certain place her Queen is researching.

"While your time here and your reaction to Jonathan's semblance was fairly entertaining, I'm afraid I have to ask you to leave. The rest of the employees are coming back and not even you can handle all of them." Quinton said as he walked passed Cinder.

He was right. As much as Cinder hated to admit it, he was right. She would be outnumbered by an unknown amount of employees and she did not have access to her full power. Cinder turned to Roman.

"He's right Roman. Let's go." Roman nodded. Cinder stepped out of the front door and began walking away delighted at her new revolution.

"Before I forget… Roman?" Quinton calls out. Torchwick turns around and looks at him.

"What?"

"Tell your mute friend that she shouldn't try to harm civilians. Especially not Lily… or she'll face a wrath far more fearsome than mine." He warned and gestured towards a sleeping Jonathan, who's head was rested peacefully on Lily's lap. Roman went wide eyed and pulled out his scroll as he left the Blind Tiger.

 **Roman:** _Neo are you alright? Are you hurt?_

He sent the message and waited a few minutes while he tried to catch up to Cinder. His scroll vibrated and he immediately looks at the text he received.

 **Neo:** _A little banged up, some well dressed guy kicked my ass when I tried to get the girl, I'm back at your office. Pretty stressed out don't feel like typing. Hurry up and get back. Don't keep me waiting. Bye._

Roman let out a breath of relief. He really needed to take a break from these people.

 **|S·P·E·A·K—E·A·S·Y|**

Jaune wandered around the streets of Vale, lost in thought. He had been back for almost four days. It seemed so strange to be in a controlled environment where rules actually applied to him and not just everyone around him that wasn't a criminal. He had only been in the game for a month, so he couldn't really say he was a "hard core murderer" or anything of the sorts, but he could claim that he knew all he needed to know about living off of illegal dust trade. He really could. The constant reminder that your life could end at any moment because of trained mercenaries, the threat of law enforcement, stealing from people who didn't deserve it, kidnapping. You name it. Jaune knew about it. He hadn't experienced it all yet, and frankly, he didn't want to. He wanted to be a huntsman. Ever since he decided to steal his dad's blade and trek off into the distance in hopes of finding a place in the ranks of Beacon Academy he wanted to be something great. Many would have told him that it was a bad idea to do so if they had known about it, fortunately he managed to stay fairly quiet about all of it. He didn't need any unnecessary distractions to hold him back, it would have only stopped him from going to Beacon in the first place. But now that he thought about it, Jaune realized that all of this was a bad idea to begin with. Everything. Leaving home, attempting to fit in with people so much better than he was. Hell, even coming back from his expulsion was a mistake.

While he was at the Blind Tiger Speakeasy, at least he was with people like him. Criminals. But even then Jaune could safely say that everyone he met except for Garrold and Quinton were good people. He never thought of himself as such though. There was no point to it. He knew that somewhere in his body there was a good human being, that human being that was present before he left Beacon, that human being that enabled him to make friends with Team RWBY and the great people on his team.

Ren, Nora, Pyrrha. His second family. Jaune stopped walking and looked up at the night sky. The shattered moon and the twinkling stars shining bright, illuminating the world with their brilliance.

If he hadn't met them, who would he be right now? Would he still be a shy dork? Would he have ever came out of his shell and stanf up to Cardin? Would he have ever improved his skills? Would he have ever met anyone from the Tiger? Who would he be?

The questions repeated themselves in Jaune's head as he started walking through the streets of Vale once more. He had a lot to discover about himself, the world around him, and the people who he constantly interacted with. But first he needed to know more about himself and in turn, his family. His mother and father, his seven sisters, hell even his uncle. He knew nothing about the new people they could have become in the time that he had been gone. Jaune sighed. He reached into the pocket of his jeans and grabbed a familiar object. His scroll. Jaune looked at it, and his hand began to shake. Should he? He could just leave them wondering, hoping he was still alive in one piece rather than dead in many pieces. Jaune closed his eyes and turned on his scroll. He navigated through it till he found his contacts. One stood out to him and filled him with dread.

There was no way around it. He couldn't let them suffer not knowing where he was, not knowing if he was alive. With newfound conviction, Jaune tapped the call icon and waited. After a few moments a familiar voice came through.

"H-hello?" Jaune smiled at the voice and stopped walking. He looked around. He had stopped by the pier. The glittering moonlit waters drew Jaune towards them, and to them he went. The blonde grabbed a hold of the rail in front of him and leaned forward, letting his elbow and forearm rest on it.

"Hey mom."

 _ **Thus concludes episode 5 of the Blind Tiger Speakeasy. This took a while to write because I had so much I needed to revise and edit, so sorry for that. New chapter should be out soon. And until next time, stay savoir faire my friends.**_

 _ **Ta Ta!**_

 _ **HeartSandwich**_


	6. Episode 6: Cut From The Same Cloth

**THE BLIND TIGER SPEAKEASY**

| _Episode 6: Cut from the Same Cloth_ |

"Alright mom. I'll be safe. Bye." Jaune turns off his scroll and lets out a cry of relief.

"That wasn't so hard. And to think I was scared…" He murmured to himself.

Turning away from the pier, Jaune began to make his way back to Beacon. The night had been long, and he was tired and needed some rest. Talking with his parents and his seven sisters again and hearing them express their worry and anger over his disappearance was quite the chore. All of it had been warranted of course, and he did not become enraged because of this. He had changed a lot during his time with those at the Blind Tiger, and it seemed to show, as his mother and father had been surprised by his sudden advancement in literacy. It hurt a bit actually, to know that his parents had thought so little of him beforehand. Jaune began to think about the future and reflect on what his father had told him.

' _life isn't a game, and your little dreams of wanting to be a hero will get you killed.'_

Mad. He was mad, the man was. His father had no idea of how much he had improved, and even though Jaune tried his best to relay his improvement through clever wordplay and the enunciation of complex phrases, it didn't seem to click. Of course it wouldn't. Jaune's father was a man who spoke through action and only believed things when they were presented before him in a believable manner. This posed a problem for the blonde male. He needed to get his parents to visit Beacon, but by the looks of things back home, he wouldn't be able to. Jaune's family owned a decent plot of farmland and that farmland needed protection almost 24/7. And the amount of Grimm in that area was staggering to say the least, so defending livestock was a must as well. That meant that Jaune would have to visit them sometime soon, but with the way things are going in Beacon, he doubted he would be able to do that. Jaune stopped walking and leaned against a wall. He watched intently as pedestrians and cars flew past him, each one traveling in different directions, each one with different motives. It was surreal, really. How life didn't stop for a single person no matter what sort of situation they were in. Time just kept moving. Blissfully unaware of any struggle that humans may experience _because_ of it. Or maybe it was aware of its own existence and the ill effects it had on people. Jaune constantly found himself thinking of the past and comparing his past life to the life he lead currently, always mulling over how much trouble he had gotten himself into as soon as he made the conscious decision to forge his own transcripts. He wished he could go back and stop himself from doing that, he HAD wished he could go back, rather. Recent events had shed a light his mentality and personality during the highs and the lows of Beacon, his ability to lead and his ever growing group of friends were two such examples of those things.

Jaune scratched his head and looked upward towards the night sky.

Stars blinked in and out of existence, bullheads were occasionally making midnight trips to distant cities, and above it all, a shattered moon to remind him of where he was in life. He was at that moment, the most put-together he had ever been, yet at the same time reality had he was the most divided. It reminded him of a particularly heavy thing that happened at the Tiger. It wasn't the worst thing ever, but it had kept him up for a few nights, wondering if he made the right decision.

 **|3 WEEKS PREVIOUS|**

It was a dreary evening at the Blind Tiger. Jonathan lay face down on the bar, Lily was asleep at a table, Garrold had found out that he rather enjoyed reading shopping catalogs, and Jaune was dying of boredom. There was no activity. No small sounds made by critters running through the attic, no loud drunk men outside, and worst of all; No customers. It would have been easy for the Tiger crew to take boredom head on if they were making any sort of money while they were doing it. But at this point, it seemed better to call it a day and pack up. The sound of the doorbell ringing caught everyone's attention, including the previously sleeping Lily. The four bored employees stood at attention as Carol and Hannah walked in, followed by Quinton. The three were dressed in casual attire, Carol wearing her favorite black long sleeved button up shirt with a grey vest on top and a black mini skirt with black high heels, Hannah wearing a white fur coat and pressed blue jeans with navy blue boots, and Quinton in a grey button up shirt with a brown vest and white pants which were tucked neatly into black boots that ran up to the bottom of his knees. He also sported a grey golf hat, which he promptly tipped at his four associates.

"Sweet lords above! I thought you three would never get here! I'm so boredddd! We never get anyone here on the weekdays… save for Friday." Lily says before yawning and standing up. Carol smiles and pulls up a chair.

"I know honey. Which is why I have come to you all, specifically Jaune and Garrold as per usual, with a job opportunity." She said. Lily groans and sits back down. Carol leans forward in her chair and places an elbow on the table before her.

"I'm sorry for the lack of work for you, Lily, but I'm not going to give you any type of dangerous work if you have yet to unlock your aura." Lily sighs and folds her arms against her bosom. Garrold stared at Carol, deciding whether or not he wanted to ask what exactly she wanted him to be a part of, but Jaune beat him the punch.

"So uh… what are we doing?" Jaune asked nervously, dreading his next assignment. Carol turned to face Jaune, sitting up further as she did and smiling.

"Its nothing too strenuous, honey. We as a company often have debts to pay and debts others need to pay to us, and a few of some of our older patrons who have since started doing business with other establishments have not done so. They have quite the following with the White Fang as well, which is why Quinton and Garrold will be with you. I fear we may not be able to simply 'talk this out' with the lot of them, so violence is necessary. Or maybe it isn't." Carol scratched her chin in thought.

Jaune grimaced and ran a hand through his blonde locks. There was no way he would be able to handle this. Hell he could barely even handle a few lackeys with guns. While he had killed a few people before, he did not feel good about it at all. His mind still switched back to the night which he had joined the Tiger crew, when he killed his first man. It was so easy yet so weighty that it nearly destroyed any sense of equilibrium in Jaune's head. Why couldn't they at least attempt to talk to the people they rivaled with? What kind of vendetta does the Blind Tiger have with everything that isn't it?

"Can we at least try to be diplomatic? I feel as though I often rip out tongues rather than listen to them make words. Tis concerning." Quinton mirrored Jaune's thoughts with his words almost perfectly, whether this was intentional or not, Jaune would never come to know.

"We are dealing with the Fang, darling. If you were somehow able to make them docile enough to engage in politics then by all means do so. But you have experience with them and know—"

"that it is most unwise to come unprepared incase of a violent confrontation. Yes. I know." Quinton said as he adjusted his glasses. Carol huffed.

"I don't like it when you finish my sentences."

"Maybe you should try being less predictable then? Mind thy tongue, as Atticus once said. It is useful information."

That struck a nerve in Carol, as her face turned red and her eyes widened. Quinton didn't seem to care in the slightest and walked passed the fuming woman and towards Jaune.

"You have had a few days to recuperate yourself after our visit with Sirgil a few days ago. Now, it is time for you to once again leap in the maw of danger. I will fill you in once Garrold and I grab our weapons." With that, Garrold nodded and began walking towards the back door, with Quinton following suit. Jaune chuckled nervously.

Why him? Why did he have to do this? And why in the world did Ozpin send him to such people?

The blonde boy let out a nervous breath and turned towards Carol, who was messaging her temples. She was very clearly still angry. Jaune decided it would be a bad idea for him to try to talk to her so he walked towards the now open back door of the Tiger and looked around. The alleyway that housed their 'Doom Chariot' as Jonathan loved to put it, was still there. Garrold and Quinton were not however, in or near the vehicle. Jaune raised an eyebrow and began to look for the two crazy people. He glanced inside of the car to make sure that they weren't actually in it, which they were not. He then looked around the alley way for a time until he spotted an open manhole a few feet from the car. There was an ominous red light glowing within it, prompting the boy to move closer to it and see what was causing such a phenomena. As Jaune creeped closer, he began to hear voices and the sound of metal striking other metal. He slowly peaked inside of the manhole and was surprised by what he saw. Quinton and Garrold were moving large crates of weapons and dust down in the manhole to an undisclosed location. Jaune backed away from the manhole when he saw Quinton approach the ladder that lead down it and quickly made his way back to the car. After a few seconds, Quinton emerged with a slim white rifle, and a leather dust container strapped to his side. Garrold came up next, but he wasn't carrying anything. The two men made their way over to the car. Quinton stopped in front of Jaune and handed him the white rifle and the leather bag.

"It's a dust rifle. The bag contains dust, of course. You'll need it for a plan I've devised with Garrold and another close associate of mine." He said as he got in the front passenger seat of the car. Jaune scratched his head and proceeded to sit in the backseat. He closed the door and looked at the two criminals before him expectantly. Garrold stared at him through the rear view mirror.

"Are you prepared for this?" He asks.

"No! I have no idea what we are doing!" Jaune complained. Garrold narrowed his eyes and shot a glare towards Quinton.

"What? He was implemented into this plan at the last minute. How was I supposed to fill him in on our objective if he wasn't even in my vicinity?" Quinton questions as he shoots a glare back at Garrold.

"You vere supposed to call him on his scroll! Vhy did you not do that?" Jaune grimaces. They were going to get into a fight soon, and Jaune did not want to be anywhere near them when they did.

"His scroll got scrapped the other day, you fool! How was I supposed to contact a destroyed scroll!?"

"I thought Carol told you to get him a new one!" Quinton raises both eyebrows.

"She didn't say anythinnng…." He stops mid sentence and looks away. He looks at Jaune.

"My uh… apologies… Mr. Arc. I did not realize I had forgotten something so easy to remember. I'll be sure to get you a new scroll." He says begrudgingly before looking out of the car window and staring off into the distance.

Garrold mumbles something under his breath before starting up the car. The old thing roars to life after a few seconds of stuttering and the dynamic trio were off to places unknown. And to places unknown they went. After almost three hours of driving, they arrived near the shores of Vale. It was particularly busy since the day was still young, and the sun still beaming. Humans and Faunus alike seemed to have put their struggles on hold as they were both chatting with each other nonchalantly and doing business with each other. Jaune caught himself thinking about why things seemed to be so relaxed. He came to only one conclusion. Money. When humans and faunus share a common directive or goal, they tend to forget about their differences for a moment to complete the task. That's what usually happens anyway, sometimes bitter hate boils over so much that it ends up burning the pot, or in simpler less confusing terms, hate breeds hate, and when people hate each other they cannot cooperate. You would think that since white fang attacks have been so rampant recently that people would hate to be around faunus, but apparently commerce in this particular area wasn't effected.

The car came to a halt. Jaune tore his gaze away from the beings outside of it and faced Garrold and Quinton, who were already getting out of the vehicle. Jaune gulped and let out a long breath before doing the same.

"Alright Mr. Arc, do not forget the rifle. You see that hill over yonder?" Quinton pointed to his left. Past him and the market was a steep hill.

"Yes I see it. Do you want me to go there?" He asks. Quinton nods and turns away from him and begins walking away.

"Yes. I'll contact you with the details of our plan when I am ready. First, make your way to that hill. You have an hour. Garrold, let us be off." He states. Garrold nods and follows after his strange friend. Jaune groans and starts trudging towards the hill.

Before he walked a single foot he quickly turned around.

"Wait how are you supposed to talk to me if I don't have a scroll?" His question fell on deaf ears, as his two companions were nowhere to be seen.

Jaune curses to himself and begins to walk towards the hill. He didn't know what he was going to do with the rifle he had. He didn't want to know. Hell, he didn't even want to be there at the moment, anywhere else would be better than the market area. If there was one thing Jaune could guarantee about this, its that there would be mass panic after they were done. Jaune makes it to the edge of the market area, where the brick walk way ended and weeds and grass began. A few feet in front of him was a gate that said 'Do Not Enter'. The blonde boy rolled his eyes as he walked past the sign and down a dirt path that seemed to lead to the top of the hill he had been heading towards. He turned right and began to ascend the path. After a few minutes he had made it halfway, and he decided to take a break and look around. Behind him was a densely forested area he had never seen before, and in front of him was the marketplace. He started walking again after a couple of breaths.

"Made it finally… Now what?" He said to himself.

"Now you sit still and wait for your next orders, Mr. Arc." Jaune jumped at the sound of Quinton's voice and turned around.

Surely enough, there he was, his hands behind his back and a neutral look plastered to his face as per usual.

"How did you get here?" Jaune inquired. Quinton blinked.

"That is not for you to know. What you do need to know however, is why I am here. It is more or less to expedite the process of this mission." He walks up to Jaune and crouches down next to him.

"Get down." Jaune obliges.

"In the leather bag I have given you, there is a rifle scope. I think you understand where this is going, am I correct?" Jaune gulped. After a few seconds of silence he replied.

"Y…Yes… I do." He said in a shaky voice. Quinton inwardly groans.

"You STILL haven't gotten over last week have you? Pardon my ill will towards your apparent grievances, but you must put that behind you. Forget. It'll affect you too much." Quinton says while narrowing his eyes at the blonde next to him.

Jaune nervously clutches the rifle in his hands and grabs the scope from the leather bag. He already knew how to assemble a weapon thanks to Garrold and Lily surprisingly enough, so putting the large rectangular scope onto the rifle was very easy. He turned to Quinton expectantly.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes…" Quinton clasps his hands together and prepares to explain things to Jaune.

"You are looking for a man and a child. The man is dressed in a white overcoat and black pants. He's very tall, so he'll definitely stand out. He is also a wolf faunus. The child, a little girl around 5 years old, is wearing a pink dress with a pink bonnet on her head." He says.

Jaune bites his bottom lip. No one will know unless he gets caught. No one but himself. Once again, he lets out a nervous breath before looking through the scope of the rifle. He was surprised by how high definition the thing was, capturing all of the market in high definition. He could see everything, from the people having conversations with each other and transactions being made to the birds that hopped around the brick path picking up pieces of food that had been dropped by the people around them. He looked through each stand, of which there were thirty seven, and he did not see the man or his child. He looked through the stands again to be sure, and he saw nothing. Deciding to change up the areas he was looking through, Jaune began to observe the docks. After a few moments he found his target. The man was on a rowboat with his daughter, looking quite nervous. He began to row away from the dock the boat had previously been situated.

"Quinton I found him. What next?" Jaune asked. Quinton narrowed his eyes and scratched the back of one of his large black cat ears.

"Wait for a moment. Where is he?"

"On a rowboat." Jaune replied.

"How far away from the docks is he?"

Jaune focused on the man again. He was a decent ways away from the docks, and was rowing pretty quickly. He was definitely trying to escape. And Jaune had a feeling they were the reason why.

"He's a decent distance away."

"Good. Shoot him. In the head of course." Quinton said quickly. Jaune had no choice but to comply. Well, he did have a choice. He could say no, but he could guarantee that Quinton would just do it himself if he did. He could have just said he didn't want to go on a mission in the first place, but that would have ended in failure of course. Jaune huffed. He had killed people before but whenever he did it, it was when he was in a state of adrenaline, and it was either life or death. This was not life or death, it was just murder. But he had gotten this far, and there was no turning back.

He closed his eyes and pulled the trigger, a soft zap noise emitted from the rifle, signifying it had indeed fired a shot. A few moments later, Jaune opened his eyes and looked through the scope of the weapon in hand. The little girl was crying, shaking her dead father, who's blood littered the insides of the rowboat. Jaune threw down the rifle and vomited.

"Why- why did I do that? What was the purpose—"

"Now is not the time to break down. You still have one. Last. Target." Jaune went wide eyed.

"No. I refuse. I won't kill a child. I won't." Jaune said firmly as he wiped the vomit off of his face.

Quinton scoffed.

"You really are a weak fool." He picks up the rifle and aims down the scope and pulls the trigger. The gun flies upward, as well as the shot from it. Quinton glares at Jaune, who currently had his hand on the bottom of the gun.

"You are compromised, Mr. Arc. Move."

"No. I won't let you—" a fist flew into his face, sending him reeling back near the edge of the hill. Jaune gripped his broken nose in pain and glared at Quinton with pure rage in his eyes.

"To think. I was once like you. So idealistic. So protective of those I did not know. I was a fool. And so are you, Jaune. You honestly think you can match me? No. You don't you think you are doing some service for that girl by letting her live, yes?"

He got no reply.

"Well, let's paint a mental picture of what will happen to her now that her father is dead. She is so far away from the market, that no one can hear her screams for help. And even if they could, she's a faunus. Why would the majority of the people in the market, who are humans, care about her? They wouldn't. Also, her father was a murderer, and she helped him. While she did not know what she was doing was wrong and against the law, she is still a suspect. And there is no way in any sense of the word that she would get a fair trial. So if you are thinking about 'helping' her by keeping her alive, remember. You may only be prolonging her death, not stopping it." Quinton said in a low tone. He had a somber look on his face that was unbecoming of him in many different ways, but it vanished almost immediately as he stared at Jaune.

"I will allow it just this once. But remember, upon our next meeting, this will NOT be tolerated." Quinton muttered before walking away from Jaune.

 **|PRESENT DAY|**

It was strange how something so simple turned into something so complex. And it also pointed out flaws in Jaune's character. His willingness to kill adults yet spare children, when it is them that are effected the most by changes that happen in the future. These thoughts weighted across his mind more than he'd like at times, but it gave him some clarification that he wasn't an evil human being yet.

Jaune laughed to himself and pushed off of the wall. He began his long trip back to Beacon, not content with the answers he left answered in his own mind, but content with his own improvements. He had come far in a month, and he could safely say that although he had gotten better, he still had a long way to go. He believed that the members of the Tiger are more than meets the eye, and he would be damned if he died before he could find out what. Such extraordinary people don't just hide and own bars and pubs. Such extraordinary people are the ones you see become great huntsman and huntresses.

It was fascinating.

Jaune kept walking through the streets of Vale towards the bullheads, lost in his thoughts. It was nice being able to think in a quiet environment.

' _PICK UP THE SCROLLLLL! SCROLLLLLL—SCROLLY DOLL DOLE IN THE CAMEL HOLE OH YEAH—'_

Jaune groaned as he answered his scroll. He constantly forgot to change the terrible ring tone Jonathan had left on it in some ass backwards prank he pulled.

"Hello?" Jaune asked.

"JAUNE! WHERE ARE YOU?" Came the voice of Ruby from the other side. Jaune turned down the volume of the scroll.

"I'm walking around in Vale, Ruby. There's no need for you to be mad."

"What? No I'm not mad I'm worried! I called to see if Blake was with you! She just ran off after an argument between her and Weiss, and I was hoping that since you are already out and about that you'd run into her somewhere. I take it you haven't?" Ruby asked, the worry in her voice catching Jaune's attention.

He sighed and scratched the back of his head.

"Honestly, I haven't seen her. But, if my knowledge on things in this city is sound, then I can safely say there is a certain faunus I know who already has."

 **|S·P·E·A·K—E·A·S·Y|**

Footsteps echoed through the alleyway, sending rodents scurrying about to their respective hiding places. The footsteps continued for a long while until they eventually started to loose speed. They stopped all together after a few moments and were instead replaced by the sounds of heavy breathing and cries of anguish, maybe betrayal. Though it had all been expected.

How could she have been so foolish? How could she really be so dumb that she didn't realize something like this would happen sooner or later, that Weiss Schnee would rear here true self to her and everyone around her.

Blake cursed herself for making such a mistake and letting her guard down. She didn't know who she could trust anymore. Ruby and Yang were probably against her, and Team JNPR would most likely follow along in hating her with everybody else. It hurt to think that her friends would turn on her so easily, and she hoped that they wouldn't if she ever decided to return to Beacon, but she knew the horrible reputation of the White Fang. It had been horrible ever since Adam rose up in the ranks and started commanding a segment of it, turning Faunus anger in to weapons that constantly strike down unfortunate humans no matter if they hated faunus or not.

To the White Fang, all humans are guilty of putting them down. There is no gray area.

It's a problem that continues to plague faunus-kind; they are so much like humans that they fail to see how they are not only treating humans with the same malice that humans treat faunus with, but they are also inadvertently treating faunus the same way by defaming them. Adam didn't understand this. He didn't understand that he was going to start a war between humans and faunus, a war that faunus are highly likely to lose.

"I wish things were simple… why can't they just be simple?" Blake lamented.

She then tripped and fell face first into a pile of garbage. Her day was going steadily down hill already, and that just took the cake for the most absurd thing that had happened within the span of an hour. Blake picked herself out of the garbage and screamed various curse words at whatever gods there were in the sky. Hearing the commotion a man who happened to be in the building that the alley was a part of didn't come out through the back door of his building only to see a black cat faunus rummaging through his garbage.

"What in heaven's name are you doing? Get out of my trash you… you… wait…" The man walked up to Blake and stopped a few feet away from her.

Blake looks up at the person. He stood at five foot something and wore a very old fashioned model of glasses, 'pince-nez', and a black aviator hat. He had an white button up shirt on that had various oil stains on it, and brown dress slacks tucked into long white socks with grey boots. All of which were covered in oil. He must have been doing some type of work earlier.

Blake dusts herself off and tries to walk past the man, but he stops her by grabbing her arm. She glares at him.

"Let go of me." Blake commanded.

"Not until you tell me why a Beacon student is sifting through my trash like some sort of impecunious drabble." Blake narrowed her eyes at the man.

"Have I met you somewhere before?" She asked.

"Maybe? Who knows. Why are you in my trash?" He asked simply. Blake bit her lip.

"I uhm… I fell. I wasn't looking where I was going. It won't happen again. Can I go now?" She was getting impatient. She had places to be. Leads to follow.

"Hmmm. I see. Come with me." The man said as he turned away from Blake. She scoffed.

"And why should I do that?" She shot back at the man before her, who simply glared at her. He let out a lengthy sigh.

"Because you are trespassing on private property, AND." The man reach for the hat he was wearing and pulled it off revealing his faunus heritage.

"I'd rather not let one of my own kin run around in the city at this hour with the White Fang and Roman's goons wandering about. So. You should come in." He said once again. Blake stared at him intently. Maybe it was good he strolled around. She needed the aid of another faunus.

"Fine but don't try anything. Or I'll—"

"You'll hurt me very badly, yes I happen to know a thing or two about empty threats." The man said as he lead Blake into the building. She reluctantly kept following the man, observing where he was taking her as they walked.

The building they had entered into seemed to be a hotel of sorts, but that didn't explain the man's strange attire and the stains on it. The walls were a clean beige color, the trims being painted a dark red color. There were two doors and an elevator, both doors on the opposing sides of the elevator and bearing signs that said 'employees only'. It was a strange sight, as there aren't usually normal rooms next to an elevator shaft, but lo and behold, there they were. It shook Blake the wrong way. The man walked up to the elevator and pressed the 'up' button.

"I take it you still don't recognize me?" He said. One of Blake's ears perked up.

"What do you mean?" The man eyed here.

"You just said that you recognized me earlier. I assumed that you would have figured out where you have seen me before by now."

Blake was starting to get suspicious. This man seemed to forward and too willing to help. Even if he was a faunus, that didn't mean that he couldn't be some kind of predator or a White Fang associate that was out for her head. She moved her hand down to Gambol Shroud, just in case. The elevator opened up, and the strange man walked in and stood in wait for Blake to follow suit. She did. Once she entered the elevator the man pressed a button on the inside of it. Blake didn't get to see what button he had pressed.

"Why do you keep asking me if I know you or if I recognized you? You've done it twice." She questioned as she stood nervously next to the man in question.

"Because, Ms. Belladona, I know you. You asked me what I thought of the White Fang a few days ago, two, to be precise. I stood in that old croon's office while he 'evaluated' Jaune. You were there, so was your team. RWBY I think was the name. While we didn't meet each other properly afterwards, the look on your face when I gave you my admittedly harsh answer to your question, proved to me that you were faunus." He paused. Blake stared at him.

"You're... uhm... Oh, BAXTER! That's your name right?" The man massaged his temples.

"No, that is not my name. My name is Quinton. Baxter is my last name. Do take care to forget it." Quinton remarked glumly. The elevator doors opened, revealing a large room with a receptionist's desk in the middle of it. There was a brunette woman there sitting in front of a computer, looking horribly bored. The room was horribly boring as well, with the standard paintings of random scenery and the plastic plants and boring oak tables that were painted a darker color to seem as though they were mahogany. There was a strangely discolored door behind the receptionist's desk. It was light blue and looked like it was made through glass, yet unlike glass it wasn't transparent at all.

Blake watched intently as Quinton walked up to the woman and began chatting with her. She seemed to perk up a bit at the conversation they were having, which was surprising. What was more surprising was that the woman was human, and she seemed to be openly flirting with Quinton, who was a faunus. After a few more brief moments the woman reached down beneath the desk and grabbed a pair of keys and handed them to Quinton. He gives the woman quick bow and turns towards Blake.

"Come on Blake. I think it's time for us to have a little talk." He says as he opens the strange door and ushers Blake in.

She follows him in and her jaw drops when she sees the room they enter.

It was gigantic. There was a staircase that lead down to a room full of antique items and lavish furnishings, as well as a large brick fireplace that was currently extinguished. Above the brick fireplace was a painting of a man in a brown tuxedo. The paint on the walls was completely different from the paint from outside, the walls were painted a dark red that made Blake feel a certain way about the overall ambience. Quinton walked down the stairs and headed to a door, which Blake had noticed a plethora of in the building itself. He put his hand on the knob and glanced up at Blake.

"Make yourself at home, Ms. Belladona. I will go and change my attire. I'll be back with you later." He said before vanishing into the random door.

Blake walks down the staircase and begins to walk around the large area, surveying the things that Quinton had in what Blake assumed was his current living space. It was honestly surprising to see all of the historical memorabilia he had. From staffs to old worn books and paper scrolls, he had a plethora of historical artifacts all neatly put in display cases that seemed to have been cleaned religiously. While she was looking her eye was tugged in the direction of a specific item. One that almost made her drop dead.

An old White Fang mask sat on a podium of ivory, and with it a photo. Blake slowly walked up to the podium and looked at the Polaroid. It was a picture of a younger, and admittedly adorable Quinton standing next to… was that her father?

"That's Ghira. He is a good man. I do not know what happened to him after the Fang started to become… unstable. I do hope he is alright." Blake turned around. Quinton stood staring at her, his expression blank yet piercing at the same time. He had managed to change his clothes and fix his black hair in less than two minutes. Although, considering his current ensemble of clothing—a white wife beater tee and boxer shorts—he seemed far less intimidating than he did with a suit or something of the like on. The raven haired girl blinked a few times before she realized that he had mentioned her father. By name. And according to the photo she had in her hands, they knew each other quite well.

"My father. What do you know about him?" Blake asked with a hint of venom in her voice. Quinton raised an eyebrow at this.

"Ghira is your father? Hmmm… the old bastard lives. Marvelous. Oh and I know very little about him. We were partners once, and I came to know him as a very upstanding and gracious man in many a way, but we went our own ways when my contract was fulfilled. Why do you need information on him? Do you need to contact him? Are you trying to assassinate him?" Quinton inquired, his ears twitching slightly.

"What? No. I was just curious about the relationship you two had, that's all."

"Strictly platonic. That is all I have to say." Quinton walked past Blake and pulled up two chairs.

Blake stared at him in confusion as he then vanished into a different part of the building for what seemed to be a split second before emerging with a single glass and a bottle of wine.

"Now Blake. I must get to the real reason why I brought you into my temporary state of residence this evening. It has to do with your team." He said. Blake folded her arms in response.

"What about them?" She said defensively, clueing Quinton in on her disdain for the current flow of conversation.

"Hm. Are they doing well. No, are you doing well?" Quinton crossed his legs and popped open the bottle of wine. Blake eyed him with extreme caution.

"Yes I am. I am completely fine." She grunted in frustration. What was he getting at?

"Hmm. That's not what I heard from Jaune. He said that you had a falling out with your team and decided to run a way. He wanted me to talk to you. So here I am." He poured wine into his wine glass and took a sip. Letting out a content sigh, he leaned back in his chair to get comfortable.

"So! Ms. Belladona. You have two choices. Choice one. You sit down in that chair in front of me and talk. For Jaune and for the betterment of your team and yourself."

"Or… Choice two. I can forget I ever saw you, and you can fix all of this on your own."

Quinton stared deep into Blake's eyes. She did not falter. Nor did she move. After what seemed to be a full hour of just staring at each other, Blake finally decided.

"Ah. I see. It is your choice after all, Ms. Belladona."

* * *

 _ **Hoooeeee Boyyy! It has been quite the tiresome month. I am deeply sorry about the lack of updates, and I will be sure to actually make a schedule. Thank you all for reading this work of fiction, and I will see you later.**_

 _ **~HS**_


	7. Episode 7: Meetings

**THE BLIND TIGER SPEAKEASY**

| _Episode 7: Meetings_ |

"Ah. I see. It is your choice after all, Ms. Belladona." Quinton said as he watched his guest.

Blake glared at Quinton and growled softly before sitting in the chair in front of him. Quinton gestured towards the wine bottle on the table next to them.

"Do you drink?" He asked.

"No. I don't like the taste of alcohol. Or wine." She replied swiftly. The faunus before her smiled and took another sip from his drink.

"There's no need to be afraid to let loose. I may be… nefarious in many ways, but I am still open for leisurely activities… or counselling, as it seems." He said while adjusting the way he was sitting.

"This is not a counselling session. At all. I just… need advice." Quinton stared at her. He let out a sigh.

"Don't be afraid to admit things as they are, rather than make excuses and lies in an attempt to save face." Quinton said with a slight authoritative tone in his voice that made Blake shift in her seat uncomfortably. The two faunus then stared at each other for a moment, before the conversation sparked up again.

"I… I ran away from my team." Blake said nervously. Quinton lifted an eyebrow.

"What for?"

"They found out I was in the White Fang." Blake looked away from the man before her. The room had become suddenly much colder, and for reasons Blake could probably explain very easily. Looking back towards the man she had been conversing with, she noticed that he did not have a calm demeanor about him anymore, no. He seemed more serious now, and was focused on his drink, as if he were thinking of whether he would need a multitude of them to process the information he had just received. After a few moments of silence, Quinton regained himself and brought his attention away from his beverage and towards Blake.

"That… is quite something." Is all he could manage to utter. He stood from his seat and began to walk away from the other faunus in the room to one of the many artifacts he had collected over the years. One in particular caught his eye, and to that one he attuned his stroll. After a few short moments, he had grabbed the item, which was covered in a plaid cloth of sorts, which seemed to had been aged. The faunus sat back down in the seat he was situated in moments previous, and unwrapped the artifact. Within it, was an old flagpole with a symbol on it resembling the side profile view of a slumbering tiger. Blake instantly recognized the symbol as the old White Fang logo that had long ago been abandoned in favor of a much more violent iteration of it. She looked at Quinton, who stared at the relic with a mix of contempt and sorrow in his eyes.

"You used to be a part of the Fang?" She asked. The man in question set down the cloth and flagpole and nodded.

"Yes, back when I was young and naive. Those days were the days I look back on with a rage, as those were the days when I could not be seen by our human counterparts. When I did not matter, and had no voice. There was another I was close to back then as well who felt the same. Her name is Sienna Khan." Blake went wide eyed.

"You mean the current leader of the Fang? You knew her?" She asked. Quinton frowned.

"I believe I once did. I refuse to say I know her now, what with all of the trouble she has caused our people over the last few years. It is despicable, really." Quinton's ears furled back and his eyes narrowed as his piercing gaze threatened to set the old Fang flagpole alight. Through his words, Quinton had unwittingly thrown a thought into the mind on the huntress in training that sat before him. Blake, while not as informed about Quinton's backstory as she liked, understood that he was a criminal. And based off of his connections with Beacon Academy and most importantly Ozpin of all people, she could say that his reach spanned far. Frighteningly so. A criminal like him detested the current state of the Fang more so than she probably did, which was eye-opening to say the least.

"You hate the Fang don't you? The modernized version of it?" There was silence. After a few moments, the man leaned back in his chair and picked his glass back up. He took a long sip and glanced at Blake.

"Hate isn't a strong enough word. I loathe it. But, we are getting off topic. Enough about me. Your situation is much more pressing than mine." He changed the subject, trying to mask his blatant abhorrence to the current dealings of the White Fang. Blake decided it would be best to leave the topic alone, as she felt it would only lead to both of them getting angry. She thought for a second to figure out where she would start up the story of her teammates after the conversation had hopelessly derailed into a journey through a skeleton filled closet. Deciding it would be best to cut to the chase, Blake began talking.

"Well. One of my teammates, Weiss Schnee, did not approve of my time with the White Fang, and without even bothering to let me explain myself, she got extremely angry and would not stop saying horrible things about them… even though… she wasn't entirely wrong. I said things back as well, and we both argued back and forth until I decided to… well… you know. Run away. Like I always do. I run… I just couldn't deal with her acting as if she was so high and mighty when she isn't a faunus herself, so she doesn't know how it feels to be looked down upon and treated like garbage." Blake looked down at her now clenched fists, angry that she couldn't get Weiss to see reason. And now here she was, conversing with a faunus who was no doubt a criminal, or once was, telling him her story as if he would ever understand how that moment felt. But then again, he was a faunus, and did stand up for the cause that the original White Fang once had. He was also older than her by what she could tell. He probably had dealt with more than she ever had. She looked up towards Quinton, who sat staring at her bearing the same neutral face Ozpin would whenever he was thinking about something.

"I see your problem. You think that since Weiss Schnee, who is a part of the largest dust company in Vale, and probably all of Remnant, which has been targeted by the White Fang multiple times because of their poor treatment of faunus and the horrible working conditions they are forced to slave away in, doesn't know how you feel because she isn't a faunus. That thought process is wrong." He said simply. Blake could have sworn she felt a blood vessel burst. How was she wrong? Weiss was clearly the one being bigoted! She was about to open her mouth to speak, but Quinton beat her to the punch.

"I will now explain why. It is improper to think that because she is human, she does not experience hate from both other humans AND fellow faunus. In fact, due to her being a Schnee, I can guarantee she has. It was reported a few years ago that the Schnees were attacked, and Weiss almost lost her eye to a White Fang member who hated their company. That is only one example of her being mistreated by faunus. An example of abuse by humans is the frequent protests where her and her family name is slandered. Now, I do not know if Weiss hates faunus like her father Jacques, but I do know that she has experienced the worst sides of humanity and faunus kind alike. I can assure you, she knows oppression. She knows hatred. She knows discrimination. But unlike you, she doesn't wear it as a badge on her chest. It is kept neatly tucked within her bosom, and it is there it will stay. Throughout her life she has learned discipline, and through that discipline, she has learned how to hide the parts of her that are unprofessional. It is a cold way to live for many, and ironically, the Schnee family tends to be cold as ice." He stated, glaring at Blake. Her cat ears were now pressed firmly against her skull

How could she have been so blind? How could she have not even bothered to ask? Weiss, while not a faunus, had been in the same boat once before. Although it wasn't nearly as bad as what a lot of faunus dealt with on the daily, It sure as hell was enough to say that she had experienced something no living being should have to. Blake looked towards Quinton, her features depressed, just as her mood.

"I didn't realize. I… I didn't bother to try and understand Weiss's point of view, just like she wouldn't bother to try and understand my point of view… We were both being stubborn and instead of talking to each other in a professional manner, we yelled and practically screamed at each other instead. I was wrong. I shouldn't have run… and as a result… I failed them. My team… and my fellow faunus brothers and sisters. I became the very thing I seek to avoid… and ignorant, angry, and racist faunus. The fact that Weiss is human and was a part of an organization known for horrible things clouded my judgement and prevented me from seeing the way Weiss saw the White Fang. A terrorist organization hell-bent on causing pain to humanity." Quinton hummed at the revelation Blake had made. It was a fulfilling one indeed, and he was glad she was not so dumb as to not try and think for both herself and Weiss.

"I'm glad you decided to listen, Ms. Belladona. You know what. I'll call you Blake from now on. I think you've earned that much." He stood up from his chair and walked away from Blake, heading back towards the room he had went into to change his clothes earlier that night. Blake watched him as he disappeared into the room and came out within a few minutes with his scroll in hand and another bottle of wine. Apparently he had emptied the other one when blake wasn't looking. Or maybe he had drunk majority of it before she had arrived. He sat back down in the chair in front of Blake before looking at the scroll he had and groaning and immediately standing back up.

"As much as I would love to keep talking to you… I am afraid your friend Jaune has run into a slight problem. It involves Roman Torchwick… and the White Fang." Quinton hurried back into the room he had been in neigh ten seconds ago and slammed the door. He was obviously frustrated by the news he had received, and frankly so was Blake. The White Fang? AND Torchwick? She needed far more information on the situation, because if it tied in to her theory of the White Fang stealing duts for a much bigger plan… Blake's thoughts were interrupted when the door to the room Quinton had went into earlier swung open. He was now in a black tuxedo, combing his hair while adjusting his glasses, something he seemed to do very often. He looked at Blake.

"What in Oum's name are you still doing sitting down?" With that Blake stood up and followed Quinton as he rushed out of the apartment. She looked at him nervously as they left building. "What's going on?" She said lightly while Quinton lead her through the alleyway she had been in before.

"I did just tell you, did I not? We have a problem that involves the White Fang and Roman Torchwick. That should be self explanatory." Quinton kicked a random pole as they were walking down the alleyway, and stopped. The wall to the left of the two began to rise up, revealing a black car. Blake raised both of her eyebrows, one for the strange car, and one for the fact that a wall just rose like a garage door because of a random pole.

"In case you were wondering this is a 1919 Ford Model T coupe vehicle. No longer in mass production or regular circulation of course. Its rectangular shape and box like chassis is a favorite of mine. The large circular wheels and prominent C-Axel fixings always put a smile on my face as well." He said nonchalantly while he inspected the car. He got in it a few moments later and revved up the engine, enjoying every rumble of the engine and every vibration sent his body. Blake watched idly as Quinton pulled the car out of the wall storage thing. He rolled down the window of the car and looked at Blake.

"Are you coming? Or are you just going to wait here while i clean up whatever mess the White Fang have managed to make?" He asked. Blake simply growled and proceeded to get into the back seat of the car. Quinton glanced at his guest through the rear view mirror.

"Excellent choice once again Blake. Now, let us be off."

 **|S·P·E·A·K—E·A·S·Y|**

Jaune grit his teeth as he dodged a dust projectile launched at him by an angry Roman Torchwick. He didn't expect to be in such a bad situation, as being out walking without his weapons only to encounter a criminal act in progress hadn't been on any particular of his. Jaune stopped and faced Torchwick with a disappointed look on his face. "Really? Attacking me while i'm defenseless? I pegged you as a better man than that." Jaune said vehemently. Roman replied by laughing.

"I take any advantage I can get. I've seen you fight, and how your little friend fights as well. I am not taking any chances with you. And plus, you interrupted my work! No one interrupts my work and gets away with it!" Ah right. The docks. Jaune groaned. Why did he have to play hero at that one damned moment? He had expected it to just be petty thieves, but then it turned out it was the White Fang, but THEN it turned out to be Torchwick WITH the White Fang. What were the chances of that ever happening under any circumstances? Roman had his own gang and his own criminal empire. Why was he working with the abrasive, in your face, less than trustworthy terrorist group that had single handedly destroyed the reputation of faunus everywhere? It was mind boggling to say the least. But even factoring in all those dastardly elements, Jaune retained a cool head and decided to play a few cards. Maybe the night would land in his favor. Jaune stared at Roman, examining the man carefully. His style. He dressed in a long white trench coat suit jacket type deal, with black slacks and his trademark bowler hat. From that alone Jaune could tell the man was full of himself, but not terribly so. It would be easy to convince him to drop this situation by appealing to his desires. And since Jaune had just spent a month in the criminal underworld, he knew exactly what those desires were. Jaune smiled, causing Roman to eye him carefully. "What are you planning, kid?" He asked suddenly. Jaune took advantage of Roman's peaked curiosity and began to speak.

"Look, Torchwick. We are both criminals. Maybe we can strike a deal. I know people, better people than these Fang chumps you seem so happy to work with. I guarantee you that I can get you better dust and FASTER than they ever could." Jaune stated. Roman narrowed his eyes, lost in thought for a moment. Based on what he had seen of this kid previously, he knew that he had connections to the Blind Tiger, a dying behemoth. Even dying behemoths still posed a threat however, so Roman did not dismiss that fact. Instead, he thought of who he had been working with a week prior. Quinton. After an interesting meeting at the Tiger establishment, the strange fellow had announced that he did not work for Carol, which was surprising. Jonathan had said that Quinton worked for someone who was very big in the criminal underworld, and that could only be two people. Torchwick himself, and a woman who was simply called Hannah. She was extremely dangerous and was not one to be played with, so much so that Roman would sooner fight Cinder Fall than lift a finger against the crime lord. It all played together nicely for the kid in front of him, whatever his name was. He DID have connections. Connections that would definitely be useful to Cinder. There was only one problem however.

The origins of Hannah and Quinton. Roman Torchwick had done his fair share of digging on Cinder's orders, and he found some things that he would rather have left buried. Those two come from an old place, a place shrouded in shadow and mystery, a place of evil. Roman wasn't one for superstition, but he was deathly afraid of ever going near the home those two hailed from. He feared for himself and that of his silent partner, who would definitely be sent to investigate the old haunt. Roman bit his lip. Even though he was afraid of what those two were capable of, he did see the sense in at least listening to the kid in front of him.

"Alright. I'm listening." Roman said quickly.

Jaune's smile grew. "Well. I take it you and your associates know of Quinton, do you not?" Roman shook his head. Jaune took that as his que to continue talking.

"He has connections to many people in the whirlpool that is the criminal underworld, and I have personally met a few of them. Some of course work at the Blind Tiger, and others are self made crime aficionados that hail from every corner of Remnant. Instead of you terrorizing Vale with a less than reputable terrorist group, how about you come and make a deal with me and my pals and get hooked up with some REAL henchmen, eh?" Jaune was hoping what he had just said would catch the eye of Roman and get him out of this horrid situation. If not, he had a back up plan that was nearly foolproof, so he could fall back on that. The two stared at each other in silence for a few moments until Roman decided to speak up. "What's your name, kid?" He inquired. "It's Jaune. Just Jaune." The blond boy replied. Roman scoffed and then put on a rather cheeky smile before aiming Melodic Cudgel at Jaune's face.

"Well Mister 'Just Jaune'-"

Jaune rolled his eyes at the pun.

"I appreciate the offer, and if I were not under the supervision of someone much, MUCH more powerful than me, I would gladly have accepted it. But due to that fact, I have to keep my employer happy or my head roll, I'm going to have to deny your little deal. Sorry Jaune. But this is the end of the line for you." He said as he fired his weapon at Jaune., who swiftly avoided the attack. He sighed a long sigh and put his hands in his pockets.

"Well, time for plan B."

 _ **Hello all you dear followers of my works. It has been a while since my last update, and for that I am truly sorry. I cannot promise when my schedule will be back to normal, so I will say this. I have updates for Fyren and a brand new story starring young Ruby Rose that is in the works that should be ready for your consumption by January 8th of 2018. Next year will be quite the eventful one, yes! But for now, I hope this short Episode will tide you over. Stay classy, my friends.**_

 _ **With Love and Bread**_

 _ **~Heart Sandwich**_


	8. Episode 8: To Plan An Attack

**THE BLIND TIGER SPEAKEASY**

| _Episode 8: To Plan an Attack_ |

What Quinton didn't understand is why Jaune had waited so long to call him. He was fighting Roman Torchwick of all people, by himself, with no weapons. There was also the possibility of White Fang stragglers coming to Roman's aid, which made the faunus's head swivel even more as he made a hard left down a busy street, driving in his old Ford as if it were brand new again.

"SLOW DOWN! Are you trying to get us killed!?" Oh right. Blake Belladonna was still in the car with him. He had been perturbed when he first discovered the young female seemingly rummaging through his garbage late at night only to be pleasantly surprised by her situation. He of course had known she would be out and about somewhere, thanks to Jaune of course, yet he had no intention of actually searching for her. Quinton could easily admit that he didn't care for the girl or her problems, even now, when they struck so close to home. None of it mattered to him, for he had knowledge of many things, and through that knowledge he had gained wisdom. One piece of wisdom, a fine one indeed, was a little thing Atticus called 'The Heartfelt Clause'. In his mind, there was always a time and a place for personal matters and affairs of the heart. In any of those cases, however, one or more persons involved had to have some sort of meaningful connection to you, for if they did not, then their struggles did not matter and should not weigh on your mind.

In the criminal world, this type of mindset benefitted a the young yet made criminal greatly. For Quinton, it was the sole reason he had survived for so long without someone killing him. Though he considered himself nigh unbeatable now, three years ago he was a much different man, and would have been easily outmatched and outwitted by the likes of Roman.

The black-eared cat faunus turned his sights to Blake and gave her a daunting look. "This is my car," He said. "Lest you forget. I can drive however I want, and due to the gravity of this situation, It is important that I make haste. Now sit back and let me do my job." With that, Quinton floored the gas pedal of his vehicle, sending the car into what seemed to be maximum overdrive as it shot down the streets of Vale at breakneck speeds.

Blake, unprepared for such a shift in velocity, was pushed back into her seat forcefully. She held onto the arm rests for dear life, unable to express the anger and concern over the driving habits of the man next to her at the helm of the vehicle.

"You should call your friends at Beacon, and tell them that you are in need of assistance. I doubt they would deny you aid, even after you made such brash and thoughtless decisions." Blake scowled.

"You don't have to remind me about that every two seconds you know! I get it, I messed up." She replied dejectedly. Blake let out a small sigh and grabbed her scroll, dialing up Weiss's number without hesitance. The scroll rang for a few moments before Weiss picked up the line.

"BLAKE I'M SO SORRY WHERE ARE YOU ME AND RUBY AND YANG ARE OUT SEARCHING FOR YOU AND-" Blake cut her off before she could begin to ramble on any longer. "Weiss, calm down. We'll talk about our fight when I get back to Beacon. But right now, there are more pressing issues at hand." She said.

On the other side of the line Weiss sat in the dorm of team RWBY, her scroll in hand as the rest of the girls in the room with her—Yang and Ruby—listened in to the call. The girls shared a look amongst themselves before listening closely to what their friend had to say. "Jaune is in deep trouble! Somehow Roman Torchwick managed to find him, and now he is trying to kill him!" Ruby went wide eyed at this. "WHAT? We have to help him! Blake, where are they?" Blake looked over towards Quinton, who seemed to be focused entirely on driving.

"Quinton, where is-"

"The Vale Shipping Docks down past the freeway." He replied almost instantly.

"He's at the Shipping Docks! You know where that is right?" Blake asked. Weiss groaned. "Of course I do, I know everything about Vale. Ruby and Yang are reporting to Ozpin now, so we should be able to get over there within 15 minutes. Where are you at?" Weiss says while standing up and leaving the dorm room after her teammates.

"I'm in a car with... one of Jaune's friends from his job. He somehow had managed to contact him before Roman started attacking. We are about to go help him now." Blake looks out the window of the car. Quinton apparently knew his way around Vale quite well, as Blake could see the docks in the distance. There was a large fire and multitude of explosions going off, so she could safely assume that Jaune had managed to come up with a plan to avoid Roman, or they were currently fighting. Hopefully they could get to him before whatever luck he had ran out.

 **|S·P·E·A·K—E·A·S·Y|**

Jaune could now officially say that this was the worse day he had ever experienced. Not only did the little store he worked at get held up by Roman and whoever else he had with him, his friend, Blake Belladonna, had up and decided to go on an adventure after she and Weiss got into some type of argument. Why things at Beacon couldn't be simple, he did not know. But, what he did know was that he needed to get some rest once the current ordeal was over. He had managed to get on Roman's naughty list surprisingly enough. Why would a man like Roman even have one of those? It was a confusing thought, one that Jaune had no time to dwell on while he attempted to keep his head on his shoulders, as the man in question was staring at him with a deadly glint in his eye. He had spent the last thirty minutes playing cat and mouse with Torchwick, and frankly, it was starting to get old for both of them.

"It would be mighty helpful if you would stop moving around! First you intrude on MY business, and THEN, you start acting like a pesky brat when I try to kill you!" Jaune scoffs at Roman's comment. "How in Oum's name is that my problem? It's not like I planned on seeing a renown criminal while I was taking a retrospective walk around the city!" He retorted. Roman chuckled and scratched his chin.

"You have a point, but I'm still going to have to kill you. It's just business." The man said menacingly, causing Jaune's heart to beat faster. He needed another plan while plan B was being initialized. Roman swung Melodic Cudgel at his face, prompting him to duck under the attack and quickly roll away. The young huntsman-in-training ran towards a shipping container, going behind the metal contraption to avoid the deadly dust blasts coming from Roman's weapon. Jaune was in deep, almost too deep. He needed this plan to work. He jumps from behind a container, and stops, looking dead at his adversary.

"Well... I'm not going to let you do that!" Jaune stated somewhat nervously. Roman lifted an eyebrow. "Oh? And how do you plan on stopping me?" He teased. Jaune looked around quickly. He needed another idea. Simply running in circles would only prompt Roman to try to engage him more harshly, in a more up-close and personal manner. And then just like that, out of the blue, he had it. A plan so stupid that it might just work.

"By using my secret weapon. NOW!" Jaune yelled, prompting Roman to look around in panic for a second until he realized that there was no 'secret weapon'. The blonde-haired fool had played him for just that; a fool. Roman angrily looked back to where the insolent boy was standing only to see that he wasn't there.

"SON OF A-" Roman seethed as he pulled out his scroll once again, and started dialing a number quickly. He pushed the call button and waited for an answer. After a few seconds, the line picked up.

"Roman. We have the Bullheads, and we have the cranes prepped to move the dust from the docks to the loading area." Well there was some good news. It seemed as though his life was riddled with grievances and discrepancies rather than success.

"Good, good. I'm glad you've gotten what we came for. But, there is a small problem. A kid by the name of Jaune has managed to elude me, and he may be sneaking around somewhere trying to escape. I need you to send out as many White Fang members as possible to scout out the surrounding area. That shouldn't be too hard, right?" Roman asked in a slightly aggressive tone. There was a cough from the other side, as well as some yelling, before he got a response.

"It's not a problem at all. I just ordered for a scout troop to be sent out. This 'Jaune' character will be found. Do you want us to kill him as well? When we find him?" The man asked. While it would be nice for them to simply kill the annoying boy and put this whole charade to rest, he felt like he had a score to settle since the little shit had so readily made a fool out of him. No one makes a fool out of Roman Torchwick and then gets off easy. No one.

"No. I want him alive. Once you find him, capture him and bring him to me. I have a score to settle." And with that, Roman hung up his scroll and pocketed it. He twirled his cane and began to walk away from the area, sure to turn a wary eye to every corner and shadow as he did. Meanwhile, a humored Jaune Arc sat on top of a mailbox some distance away, spying on the criminal with a sniper rifle.

"Thanks for coming when you did. I would have been a goner for sure if you hadn't shown up." The teen looked downward to a cat faunus who was sitting cross-legged on the ground. The cat faunus looked up at him and smiled. "Hmm. It is my pleasure. It's not every day I get to use my semblance for something as fun as that. Just be sure to take it easy, now that I have used it on you. It takes a lot of energy out of your system."

Jaune nodded at the words of wisdom parted unto him by the faunus, who was better known as Quinton Baxter.

"Your semblance is crazy, by the way. Can you use it for combat purposes too, or no?" Jaune asked him, peaking back through the scope of his rifle to continue observing Roman from afar. Quinton let out a small hum and nodded his head.

"Yes, but it's stressing on my body, and takes the fun out of combat, as it can potentially rip my foes to pieces. I tend to only use it when I need to travel long distances." He replied, standing up as he did so.

"So now what? We have to do something about whatever Roman is planning. He's got the White Fang with him, and apparently, they are stealing tons of dust from the Vale docks." Jaune said. Quinton grimaced and scratched one of his ears.

"We have no choice but to stop them. It is strange since we are both criminals in our own way, but, I despise the White Fang, and I'm sure you do as well."

Footsteps in the distance caught Jaune's attention. He looked behind him and there stood Blake Belladona. "So I guess you found her then?" He says as he turns towards Quinton, who nods in response. "She was rummaging through my garbage when I found-"

"I WAS NOT!" Blake yells. Quinton smiles devilishly at her before clearing his throat.

"All jokes aside, we have a mission now. And that mission is simple. Stop Roman and his lapdogs no matter the cost."

 _ **What's this? Another short chapter? And almost a month late? HOW DARE YE?! I know I know. Things on my end got a bit... tricky, and it resulted in me being hospitalized. Thankfully I am back now, and I will be updating Fyren and Baku: The Wanderer's Tome soon enough. Thank you all for staying patient.**_

 _ **With love and bread**_

 _ **~Heart Sandwich**_


	9. Chapter 9: With A Little Help

**THE BLIND TIGER SPEAKEASY**

| _Episode 9: With A Little Help_ |

Jaune slithered behind a cargo crate, his breath stilted as he overheard Torchwick have a fit over the recent turn of events. He, with the help of Quinton and Blake Belladona, had managed to sneak back into the area, though without a weapon still, and he had found a great spot to keep watch with both his eyes and ears until the plan that had been created by the trio could run smoothly.

"No! Keep the operation going! Jesus, you damn animals don't seem to get anything! NO! I'LL KEEP MY EYE OUT! GET TO WORK!" Roman screeched at a random White Fang member, who shakily nodded and scurried off.

The blonde-haired huntsman-in-training winced slightly at the treatment the Faunus was facing, even though he realized that the Faunus most likely deserved it. Jaune wasn't one to turn a blind eye to such a thing, but he wasn't an idiot either; the White Fang deserved no fair treatment, especially not with the amount of murders and other atrocities they pride themselves with committing. It was a sad thing, really, how such a valiant group turned sour because of the workings of humans. If only they had held out a little longer, maybe they would have accomplished what they wanted to in the first place and achieved the peace and respect that they had so craved. But now, that was all a whimsical dream. Remnant was not a peaceful place and the White Fang, nor the humans, did anything to help that matter. Jaune expelled his thoughts and crept behind another cargo crate, being sure to keep his head down and to avoid any undue attention. He stopped and placed a hand on the cold concrete beneath him, sucking in a breath of air. Jaune looked at the waters behind him, at the edge of the docks, and pondered his back-up plan. Holding his breath for a minute or so seemed easy to do now, but when under pressure? The boy had no clue. He reached into his pocket and quickly pulled out his scroll, dialing Blake's number as fast as he could manage. He waited for a few seconds for her to answer.

"Are you in position?" Blake asks. Jaune peeks his head over the crate he found himself hiding behind.

In front of him was Roman, his back facing the boy, barking out orders and being an all-around nuisance.

"Yeah, I am. I assume you and Quinton are ready to go then?"

"Yes, we are. Give me your signal when you are as well." Jaune looked to back at Roman and steeled himself.

The young huntsman leaped over the crate and ran to tackle Roman, who turned around at the last second, only to be thrown to the ground and railed with punches. With an angered scoff, Roman smacked Jaune off of him and into a nearby wooden box, shattering it. Torchwick stood and brushed himself off, signaling for some White Fang members to come to his aid.

"I was wondering where you went off to, kid. I applaud your stealth techniques, though that last part did nothing but PISS ME OFF!" The man yelled and twirled his cane, sending a fireball of energy towards Jaune, whho quickly rolled past it. The area behind Jaune was quickly engulfed in flames, making his eyes go wide.

"I didn't know he could do that. Wow," He says, his breaths ragged and his hands shaking. Jaune vaults over another crate and dodges a second blast from Melodic Cudgel, taking his scroll from his pocket and sending his signal to Blake and Quinton via text. Not one moment later did Quinton appear next to Jaune and smack a fireball to his side and into the water behind them, where it promptly exploded. The well-dressed faunus turned a judgemental eye to Jaune.

"You were supposed to give your signal and _then_ attack Roman. You did it backwards. I assumed that I taught you better, Mr. Arc." The boy in question smiled and scratched the back of his head. "My mistake. Heat of the moment, y'know?" Quinton groaned. "No, I don't know. You are starting to sound like Jonathan. I do not like that fact at all. I should limit the amount of time you two spend together." The man turned from Jaune to the approaching White Fang members running towards them. With a single flick of his wrist, a blade flew from Quinton's shirt sleeve and impailed itself within the head of an unlucky soul.

Jaune looked at the sight in disgust but quickly regained himself as another Fang member attempted to ambush him. Having past experience with such instances, Jaune grabbed his assailant's arm and flip him over his shoulder, sending the terrorist down to the ground with a hard thud. The huntsman-in-training quickly grabbed the knife that was in the Fang member's hand and wretched it out, deflecting a bullet sent his way back to the gun it came from. Delivering a quick jab to his attacker's throat, Jaune moved on to the others in his area, only to find that they had all been killed by Quinton. The blonde shot him a look.

"What? You were going horrendously slow, so I had to finish the job." Jaune rolled his eyes. "We commence phase two of our plan. You go and find Blake, she should be waiting on Beacon's staff to make their presnece. I will toy around with Roman for a moment," Quinton said as Jaune turned away from him. "Oh, one more thing. Avoid a tiny woman with a parasol umbrella. She is more skilled than you are, and I would hate to see you be killed today." Jaune nodded at the words of warning he received and made his way to Blake, leaving Quinton behind to deal with the more immediate problem.

Stepping from behind the large cargo container that he and Jaune had just massacred a small battalion of White Fang grunts, (though that was mostly his effort) Quinton decided to make an entrance worthy of a man such as himself. He climbed on top of the container, and stand there, waiting for Roman and his remaining Fang henchmen to notice him. It took a few moments for the desired effect to blossom, but when it did, the look of disgust and pure fear and confusion on Roman's face was something to behold.

"YOU!? I should have KNOWN you had something to do with this! Is this some kind of petty pay-back for the incident that occurred earlier? YOU DON'T EVEN WORK THERE!" It was apparent that Roman was not having a great night. Quinton had almost completely forgotten about the earlier confrontation he had with Roman and his associates. It wasn't a big deal to him as it was to Jonathan, who Quinton remembered was quite distressed when he awoke from his state of unconsciousness to find that Lily had almost been hurt. Quinton was good at not letting anything get to him, especially when it came to feelings he had for others, of which there were very few. The feline faunus shot Roman a look before jumping down from the crate and glancing at the White Fang surrounding his target. His nose wrinkled in disgust as he cracked his knuckles and removed a long, curved blade from his tuxedo jacket, twirling it in a menacing fashion.

"Torchwick, we are all criminals here. Why don't you just surrender now, and our dealings don't have to get... less than amicable?"

Roman eyed Quinton. He knew little of what the faunus in front of him was capable of, but of the little he did know, he was sure that every henchman around him would end up dead in seconds. But, he had no time for surrender, and he definitely did not have an employer that would forgive him if he did decide to go through with the gesture given to him. Thus, in reply to Quinton, Roman scoffed.

"I told the kid that came before you. There's some good deals to be struck between you two, but my neck is a tight noose as is. I can't risk surrender, nor can I risk failure. So, can you do me a favor, and LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE!?" He yelled, prompting some of the Fang members around him to cover their ears.

"Your choice Roman. Though, I don't think you actually _have_ a choice in this matter." As soon as Quinton finished his sentence, lights blared from bullheads above, exposing Roman and his lackies to the world.

"Roman Torchwick! You are hereby under arrest, courtesy of Beacon Academy and the Council of Vale!" Roman's eyes bulged as he looked up towards the bullheads.

Glynda Goodwich stared him down with a fury in her eyes. Soon after, dozens of police cars pulled up around him and the Fang, leaving them in an effective checkmate that Roman knew he didn't have the time or skill to get out of. He turned an eye of rage towards Quinton, only to find that he was no longer in the immediate area. Roman cursed to himself before feeling the ground beneath him vanish as Glynda levitated him upwards. So much for trying to keep his head on hebubis shoulders.

Quinton stood atop a nearby building, watching closely as Goodwich detained Roman, and Blake was reunited with her team. A sigh escaped his mouth as he pulled his scroll from out of his tuxedo and dialed a familiar number. He waited some moments before a close associate decided it would be a great time to stop ignoring his ringtone.

"Howdy, Quinton, ol' buddy ol' pal! Whatcha need?"

"Are you at the Tiger, Jonanthan?"

"Why yessireebub!"

"Good. Tell Carol that Roman Torchwick has been caught, and is most likely on his way to a heavily guarded jail cell somewhere." A cackle came from the other end of the call.

"I knew he would get his due someday. Serves him right for trying to mess with the Tiger and Lily. I'll tell Carol as soon as she gets back from drowning in alcohol! Is that all you need?"

Quinton thought to himself for a moment. Did he need anything? Most certainly not. Did he want anything? Not anything he could think of. Though, there was a nagging detail about the whole ordeal he had just been through. Since Torchwick was arrested, that woman, Cinder Fall, who was obviously his employer, would either be out for blood or in need of service. Now was a better time than ever to arrange that meeting they had talked about earlier that night.

"No, Jonathan. That will be all." Quinton hung up. He turned his sights to the city around him, and wondered just how young the night was.

"Where exactly did you find Blake, Jaune?" Yang asked. Jaune, in reply, shrugged his shoulders.

"I didn't find her. Apparently, Quinton did. Ask her yourself," Jaune said, making his way passed her and towards Blake, who was having a conversation with Weiss and Ruby.

He wanted to ask her what the whole 'running away' gag was about, because he hadn't had any clue that she had been missing at all. He was just minding his own business and thinking while walking the streets of Vale, so he wouldn't have a clue what was going on back at Beacon. And since he had been gone for a month, he had no idea what happened between team RWBY in regards to interpersonal dynamics. Jaune needed some answers, and he needed them quick. When he was working with Quinton and Garrold, he had learned that knowledge was key, and whomever held that key held the secrets to everything. And at that moment, Jaune did not have that key. He stopped when he was within earshot of Blake and Weiss, and decided to listen in instead of interrupting their conversation.

"Weiss, look. I'm sorry. I didn't listen to you when I should have. I should have been more understanding of why you hate the White Fang so much, and I shouldn't have said those awful things about you, nor should I have run away. I didn't mean for you or the rest of our team to be worried about me so much... nor did I mean to be untrustworthy by hiding my heritage. I was scared... I didn't want to go through the hatred I did when I was younger because of my faunus traits... I was a coward for not telling you or Yang or Ruby about what I used to be..." Blake looked at her feet, ashamed of her actions. Weiss stared at the girl in disbelief, then with an empathy Jaune didn't know she was capable of.

"It's okay, Blake. I understand. Really, I do. I understand what it feels like to what to hide away from what you are and who you are related to. I hate the feeling, and its hard on me. Since you are a faunus I know it must be even harder for you, especially in a city full of humans that may or may not hate your kind. You don't need to apologize to me. I believe we both decided not to listen and let our emotions get in the way... I won't do it again. Only if you tell me now, that you are no longer with the Fang."

"Of course not! I left them a long time ago... I just... didn't think they'd stoop so low as to work with someone like Roman..." Blake trailed off as her eyes met Weiss's, then Yang's.

"Don't run off like that again, please, Blake. I was worried. Ruby was worried. Hell, Weiss was worried! She was actually the most worried out of all of us! Next time you guys get into some sort of world ending and cataclysmic fight, at least be sure to stay within the same universe so we don't have to go on a wild goose chase!" Yang wrapped her arm around Ruby, who was standing next to her, surprisingly silent, then flashed one of her trademark smiles.

"You have anything to say Rubes?" Ruby looked up at Blake. She stood still for a while before running and giving Blake a bear hug.

"Please don't do that again Blake... you could have been hurt real bad... I was worried sick..." Blake bit her lip. Ruby sounded like she was on the verge of tears. Had her being gone for a day really affected everyone this bad? She didn't expect them to care. Blake had been selfish to think that, and she knew it. In her anger and distress, she had only thought about herself and no one else.

"I'm so sorry Ruby... I.. I was being selfish... I didn't think about how you all would feel if I just left. I-"

Jaune turned and began to walk away. He figured he didn't need to hear anymore and that what the reunited team was discussing was none of his business. As he made his way towards the far end of the docks, he got a message on his scroll from Quinton.

' _Now that Roman is out of the way, there will be a surge in criminal activity. Some well-knowns down in the Underworld will have more jobs for you, since your name is out and about. I'll need your help in the future because of this. Think of it as extra training. I will have Jonathan fill you in when you come to the Blind Tiger on Friday. Be sure to get your rest, you will be in for some stressful experiences._

 _-Q'_

"Hey Jaune." The small voice drew the blonde's attention away from his scroll.

"Yes, Ruby?" He turned to the girl in question, who was fumbling with her hood.

"Thank you for helping bring Blake back... I don't know what we would have done to find her without you," She said, smiling at the boy in front of her. Jaune returned the smile in kind with his own.

"I didn't really find her. It was Quinton. But thank you anyway. I'll be sure to send him your thanks."

"Good... Uhm.. And one more thing." Ruby shuffled around nervously. Jaune lifted an eyebrow.

"Is there something wrong, Ruby?"

She did not respond, instead, she planted a quick kiss on Jaune's cheek before running back to her team. Jaune placed a confused hand on the spot she kissed, unsure of what to do or why Ruby had done such a thing. Maybe it was thanks? Surely it was. Jaune decided not to read into it much, and instead sent a quick message to Quinton.

' _Team RWBY thanks you for your efforts in finding Blake. They really appreciate it. In a way, I do too. And I'll be ready for anything you throw at me.'_

 _-J.A_

Jaune puts his scroll in his pocket and stares off at the flowing waters, into the glittering moonlight. It had been a month since his expulsion, and in that time, he could safely say that the whole 'I want to be a hero' attitude that he had when Beacon had first intruded his mind was completely gone. It had taken a month of witnessing murder and crime to let him know that the world was not clear cut in black and white, heros and villians. The gray far outweighed everything else, and because of this, good and bad could be nearly indistinguishable from each other at times. Even so, Jaune tried his best to tread in the light.

Though he often wondered how he would be able to do that before the light became the dark, and the good was only achieved through horrendous evil.

 _ **Ah, its been 84 years. I have been gone for quite the time, and even though it may seem this story has dug its grave, it has not. I will continue to update my other stories along this one, and I will continue working towards completing the first season of Blind Tiger. Stay classy.**_

 _ **-H.S.**_


	10. Episode 10: Long Night Ahead

THE BLIND TIGER SPEAKEASY

[Episode 10 : Long Night Ahead]

Garrold took a long drag from a freshly lit cigarette, the smooth nicotine taste greeting his lungs once again while the man stood underneath the umbrella in his hands, blocking the rain from drenching him to the bone. He was waiting for Jonathan to arrive, and just as always he was late. This upset Garrold quite a bit, since there was important work to do at the Blind Tiger, and he knew he had very little time to complete the mission at hand. He knew that Jonathan was late because of Jaune, who had gone back to Beacon on Ozpin's orders, and that picking him up from there was a lengthy trip. He took another puff of smoke into his lungs as he waited. Down the street he could see the front lights of a car slowly approaching. Jonathan had arrived. The car slowly made its way down, as it was obvious Jonathan was trying to appear as civilian as possible. The car pulled up next to him and stopped, a window rolling down to reveal the smiling face of Jonathan, his black cat ears uncovered for the first time in what seemed like ages.

"Hello, my friend! Hop on it, don't just stand there smoking your cancer sticks looking all dramatic and whatnot." Garrold rolls his eyes at Jonathan, who seemed to be up to his usual antics again. He closed his umbrella and quickly opened the car door, getting in before he got too wet. He looked into the back seat and saw no one. Where was Jaune? He could have sworn Quinton had said that he would be with them. He said nothing to Jonathan about the matter, instead opting on staying silent. The car moved forward as Jonathan put his foot on the gas. He turned to face Garrold, who was doing something akin to brooding while he was staring out of the car window. Deciding that he quite liked living, Jonathan stayed silent and let his partner in crime think.

{-}

The rain brought a strange calm to Quinton as he stared out of the window of his apartment complex, one Jaune Arc standing near him wondering what he was thinking about. Quinton turned around and looked at the blonde boy, his piercing green eyes seeing right through his soul. Jaune shuffled around uncomfortably.

"So what is the mission for us today, exactly?" Jaune asked after the silence became too thick. Quinton stood in silence, staring through Jaune as if he were made of glass.

"This, Jaune. This is our mission. A mission of the highest degree. Personal relaxation. Now that Roman Torchwick is behind bars we can take this little time we have to relax."

"Really?"

"NO you buffoon. Tonight is the perfect moment to go tie up a loose end that has been dangling in front of us like a carrot in front of a rabbit. Cinder Fall."

"Really? Who even is that?"

"The woman we fought against in Junior's club. The one who attempted to kill me. We need to... talk to her about things, as I have a feeling she will be looking for someone to blame over the loss of her pawn, Torchwick." Jaune went wide eyed.

"Wait, you mean that she-"

"Is the one that Roman was working for? Yes, yes she is. That makes her a high-stakes target in this criminal game we are playing. Now tell me Jaune, are you willing to dive in to a real criminal threat? So far its just been cannon fodder here, cannon fodder there. Now, its two large dogs fighting in an ever shrinking cage. Either we deal with her, or she deals with us. There is no in between for this matter, unfortunately. This is why i told you to be prepared on Friday, which is today of course, for something more rigorous. You must be ready for anything that this night throws at you. Now, get your things ready, we are going to be doing dangerous business tonight, and I want you to be on your top game, do you understand?" Jaune simply nodded at the mouthful that was thrown at him by his mentor, understanding, albeit slightly, how dangerous the night would prove to be.

Jaune wasn't an idiot, however. He knew exactly what they were going to be dealing with, as he had fought Cinder's goons that distant night at Junior's Club. They were skilled, far more so than most of the students at Beacon, no less. They fought with tooth and nail, like caged animals waiting for their next meal. He knew how to keep his head afloat with those two, though not by much. Cinder, however was on an entirely different level. He had witnessed some of the fight between her and Quinton, and it was hard to follow due to how fast the two maniacs were going at it. She had proven to be quite the nightmare to Jaune, as he knew that there would be no way in hell he could beat her in a one on one, hell, he could barely keep up with her lackeys, let alone her when she got angry. So with that in mind, the future visit that he and Quinton were going to pay her would be a job that revolved heavily around Quinton and his actions, rather than Jaune's. He would be nothing but a side character during that scene, and there was no problem with that in his mind.

Jaune walked over the exit, waiting on Quinton to go and finish whatever he needed to finish before both of them decided to head out towards what seemed like certain doom. He twirled his cane a few times and wondered exactly what they were in for. Whatever it was, Jaune was hoping that his head would stay on his shoulders, both literally and metaphorically.

"Are you prepped to go, Mr. Arc?" Quinton asked. "Yeah, i'm all set."

"Good, then we can head out and get this done. Trust me, Arc, I feel just as unnerved as you do, I don't want anything to happen that would involve violence, but as you know, the people of Vale are always a bit... over the top." Quinton says as he fixes his suit jacket. He walks over to a counter and presses a button under it, which causes it to flip over and reveal two shiny grey curved daggers, which he then put inside of his suit jacket before moving past Jaune and to the exit.

"Let's go Mr. Arc. We have work to do."

{-}

Jonathan closes the car door behind him as he and Garrold emerge from the vehicle, both of them staring at the task ahead. In front of them was a small wooden shack in Forever Falls, a place of majestic pink tree leaves and sap pouring down from solid bark. The shack in front of them nearly blended in with the area around it, as the timeless pink leaves of the forest had landed on every inch of the roof and front porch. Garrold made his way up the stairs of the old shack, watching his step as to not step on any dead wood. He had experienced falling through the porch before, his leg getting stuck in the old rickety home of a much needed business partner. Then, Garrold noticed something out of the ordinary. The front door was slightly ajar, the door not being closed all the way, which was something that the man who lived there would never do. Garrold turned to Jonathan and gave him a wary glare. Jonathan smiled and nodded, going back to the car and grabbing a deck of cards. He hurried over to Garrold, and the two made their way into the house, very slowly. The burly man stood in front as the two pushed past the front door and into the home. On first sight there was blood, and then there was trashed furniture and scratches on the carpet, broken chairs and shattered glass, missing tables, and broken doors. There had been an intense struggle, and recently too, if the fresh blood was any clue. The lights were on as well.

"Jonathan, investigate what happened here while I sweep the area outside." Garrold ordered. Jonathan mock saluted him before he began his investigation, while Garrold went outside to check the surrounding area for any remains, whether they be alive or pieces of something that was once alive.

It was on rare and gruesome occasions like these that let Jonathan shine. He was a very keen cat, prone to searching areas down to the bone to find what he needed to find, and this case would be no different. But before he could start he needed his cards. Jonathan pulled the deck of cards from his suit jacket pocket and immediately opened them. He grabbed the deck of cards and let three of the fifty four fall to the floor beneath him. Before the cards touched the wooden floor, they stopped mid air and floated upwards. The three cards then began to twirl. After about a minute, they shot towards Jonathan, floating right in front of his face, two covering his eyes, and one on his forehead. Jonathan closes his eyes and lets the world around him be recreated by the vision he was receiving from the cards. There, the entire word began to change and morph, as if the very fabric of the universe began morphing and changing to Jonathan's will. Suddenly, the answer became clear to him. There were little droplets of blood on the floorboards that lead to the back of the cabin. The cards retreated from his face and fell back into the deck he was holding. He followed the small trail to the back of the cabin, in what appeared to be a bedroom. The bed looked like it had been burned, and the sheets had been ripped to shreds. The blood trail grew larger, and there was a small puddle of blood right next to the bed, a stray finger lying in it. The finger was clawed, suggesting that a faunus had lost its appendage in some sort of altercation. Jonathan crouched down and stared that the finger. He picked it up and examined it.

"Still warm. Whoever lost this little bugger must be here still. Or maybe not?" Jonathan said to himself as he stood up and looked around the room, his sharp eyes scanning every nook and cranny. He saw nothing, save for another small blood trail heading to the closet. He cautiously made his way to the closet, his senses alerting him to the fact that there could be a very angry, finger-less-faunus waiting for him either dead or alive. Jonathan grabbed the knob of the door, twisting it and opening it without a missed breath. He wasn't surprised to find nothing within the closet, rather, he was happy to find it so, because it meant that the struggle that happened within the shack was not something that led to someone being trapped within it, rather it was a struggle that lead to a very unlucky faunus outside, which meant...

"Jonathan! Come outside, I need your expertise for a vhile." A wide smile formed across his face when he heard those words.

{-}

Quinton and Jaune both had a very uneasy feeling about the meeting they were about to endeavor. Jaune had a feeling things were going to go downhill very quickly because of how the last meeting with Cinder Fall went. It was an absolute atrocity the way Cinder and Quinton kicked themselves around (More so Quinton, because he seemed to take no damage at all, rather, the more Cinder hit him the stronger he got) for about twenty minutes at Juniors's Club a few weeks prior. Quinton was worried about that very thing, fighting Cinder at full force for an extended period of time. He knew he could take her on, but his power was very straining on his body, and he hated being tired because of it. One fight would end up landing him bedridden for a week because of the amount of stress the power he had would put on his body.

The two males kept their ears open, as at the moment they were in a deserted area of Vale, in an alleyway that both knew little about before they came to it. Footsteps could be heard behind them, causing both to turn around, both of them tense and prepared for a conflict. Behind them were of course, the people they had come to meet. Cinder Fall, Mercury Black, and Emerald Sustrai. Quinton had been careful to do his homework on the trio before he and Jaune met up with them, just in case a fight broke out between them and there needed to be some dirt on them given to the Speakeasy crew.

"Nice to see that there a still men who can dress in style," Emerald teased as she shoved her elbow into Mercury's side. He replied with a finger.

"Can you two be professional for once?" Cinder chided. The two immediately went silent. She turned her attention to the two men in front of her.

"Now gentlemen, let's talk." Cinder said, a mischievous glint in her eye.


	11. Episode 11: An Unexpected Turn Of Events

**THE BLINDTIGER SPEAKEASY.**

 **Episode 11**

 _ **[An Unexpected Turn of Events]**_

Jaune and Quinton both glanced at each other and shared a subtle nod. They both turned to face their adversary, Cinder Fall, and her two lackies, Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black. Quinton knew quite a bit about those two, as well as their strengths and weaknesses, and their semblances as well. He didn't however, know anything of their employer, other than her name, which wasn't much to go by since that name did not exist within any public record. Finding out information in regards to her current goons was relatively easy, especially since Mercury Black's name was registered, and the fact that Emerald Sustrai came from a small village of thieves, one that Quinton just so happened to know. The faunus sighed and adjusted his pince-nez, silently wishing that all detective work he had done in the past was this easy. Unfortunately, he felt that wouldn't be the case.

The thought process of Jaune Arc was chaotic at the moment. Unlike Quinton, who kept himself cool and collective both externally and internally, Jaune was only able to hide his fear and uncertainty on the outside. Inside, he was a nervous wreck that was sputtering in fear at the thought of facing three people he considered to be of a higher skill level than he was. That wouldn't stop him from fighting, no, it was actually the exact opposite. Quinton had taught him a quote that he had tried his best to live by; "Fear is your greatest ally". Coming from someone who seemingly had no fear was jarring, but it was something that resonated with the young man on a deeper level than most things. It taught him that fear, though looked upon as cowardice, is the source of courage when mastered. It is okay to be afraid, as fear keeps one alive, and right now, Jaune was counting on his fear to keep him out of a potentially dangerous situation involving a threat he didn't think he could best.

"So. Cinder Fall. We meet again. I assume you aren't here to actually chat with us? Based on the back-up, such a notion seems unlikely." Quinton states, no emotion showing in his voice. Cinder smiles at this, causing Jaune to grit his teeth. She was up to something. What that 'something' was eluded him, which only served as a reason for his eyes to cautiously dart around, searching for some sign of imminent foul-play.

"Actually, I am here to talk. You and your little posse interest me greatly, and I feel as though we have common interests." This caused Quinton to lift an eyebrow.

"Common interests? I don't believe so, Miss Fall. My job is to keep certain gangs in check and make sure the Blind Tiger stays afloat as certain individuals return its reputation, and even THAT is a side job. You don't know my interests. I'll even be bold enough to say you don't even know my comrade's interests, nor motivations." Quinton folds his arms behind his back and stares at Cinder, his features unreadable. Jaune nervously glances over to him, uncertain as to what he was going to do about the situation, while making sure he kept a keen eye on the dangerous individuals before him.

Cinder didn't seem very amused by the answer given, nor was she very welcoming to the obvious tension in the air. She had fought this man once before, and it didn't end well. He was damn near indestructible, seemingly gaining more power the more hits he took. The conniving woman was one hundred percent sure that he could kill her two associates quite easily if he wanted to, and quickly. Now the fellow beside him was another story. He had the same style and demeanor as the black-eared cat faunus that he was obviously a student to, but he had nowhere near the skill. He did hold off Mercury and Emerald, but not without difficulty. A few very violent thoughts went through Cinder's head as she eyed down the boy, who seemed to almost glare at her, his eyes remaining attentive even as he and his teacher stood outnumbered.

A sigh escaped her mouth. She wasn't here to cause conflict, not with potential allies.

"Well, Mr... what was it again? Quinton? I assume you want to make a profit? I can get you money, if that is what you desire, then I have ample ways of getting just that." Cinder smiled. She knew a man like Quinton would definitely want money, as it was clear that although he helped those at that old relic of a bar, he was a man who enjoyed the luxury of wealth and prestige.

"I already have ample ways to acquire currency, Miss Fall. I do not need anymore. I must say, though. Your attempts at negotiating are very... inefficacious. To say the least. You could not possibly have anything I want, nor do you have anything that could pique my interest... other than the power you possess." Quinton replied with an ominous tone. Cinder narrowed her eyes, as did Emerald and Mercury.

"I do believe I have something that can and WILL interest you, Quinton. Or should I say... Baxter?" It was now Quinton's turn to narrow his eyes. This woman knew something of him that most did not; his last name. While he hated his last name, he did so with good reason. But this could easily be shrugged off as her doing a simple search through Vale's records, as he had made a point to register his name when he had first integrated into a human society, if it had not been for the way she had said it. She wouldn't bring up his last name if there was only a small, trivial piece of information attached to it, Cinder Fall definitely did not seem like that sort of person. No, she had something on him that had made his worry and anger grow exponentially within seconds.

"I implore you to not finish what you are about to say, Miss Fall. For your own safety." Quinton hisses, his anger now apparent, a snarl on his face. Cinder raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Did I strike a nerve?" She mocked.

As if it had never been so, Quinton's anger seemed to fade away to nothingness, the snarl on his face evaporating and his quiet, studious expression returning. He had suddenly realized that there was no reason to care about the things Cinder knew, as she posed no threat to him. Or anyone else of his ilk.

"For a moment, yes I must admit. Unfortunately for you, tactics such as that hold no weight with me. Not anymore." Cinder growled. How could he not be afraid of his little secret being outed? Unless...

"So, I assume your time at Hospice Memorial means nothing to you, then?" Cinder looked at him, her smirk returning as she saw his eye twitch. The faunus closed his eyes and let out a breath, while the Mercury, Emerald, and Jaune looked confused and unsure of what was going on at the moment.

"It means nothing to me, because it means nothing to you. I know that your knowledge on the Memorial is quite scarce, as there are only three people that know of the Memorial's horrid truths and are still breathing. Those three people do not include you." With that Quinton adjusts his tie and glasses and looks to his companion. "I am tired of this petty conversation. Let us leave."

Suddenly, Mercury and Emerald are standing in front of Jaune.

"Yeah, that's not happenin'" Mercury says as he cracks his knuckles and smirks. Emerald smiles and lifts her weapons, ready to fight. Quinton looks to Cinder, who is also prepared to fight.

"Really? I am not sure you want to do this again, Miss Fall. It will not end well." Cinder smirked.

"Oh yes it will." The mischievous criminal reaches into her bosom and retrieves an amulet in the shape of a face. It was a dark grey color, and was obviously made from stone, based on the cracks and missing pieces it had. Eye holes and a mouth were carved into the amulet, but there was a dark, pulsating pink light coming from the eye holes. The face of the amulet looked to be in a state of perpetual joy and terror, as if it has seen horrors beyond comprehension.

Quinton froze in place. How could she have gotten a hold of one of those? They should have all been destroyed... unless... This was a problem. A big one. This foolish woman was playing with things beyond her. He would have to do something drastic.

"Arc?" Jaune glanced over to Quinton, the situation at hand going over his head.

"Yeah?"

"You might want to take a few steps back. Preferably an abundance of them." Jaune saw a familiar glint in the cat faunus' eye. He instinctively jumped back, doing a neat backflip in the air before landing delicately.

"I have to admit, Miss Fall. I never took you for a fool." Cinder grew furious.

"Me? A fool? You must obviously not know that I hold the key to killing you in my very hands. So, I believe you are the fool now." She says threateningly. Quinton simply smiles before vanishing and appearing a few feet behind Cinder, before throwing a quick jab at her, which she almost avoided. Almost.

Cinder grunted at the attack before spinning around and aiming the amulet at Quinton, who once again vanished and appeared behind her, but this time around he felt a heavy fatigue that he didn't usually feel when he used so little of his abilities. He ignored the fatigue and opted to keep fighting, even though he knew it would be hard for him to do so. Cinder noticed Quinton's weakened state and smiled, summoning her black ashen blade and swinging it at him. The faunus weaved around her attacks, but he found it difficult, as his power slowly waned.

' _Curse that damn amulet! I need to get it away from her, or better yet, destroy that heinous thing!'_ Quinton thought. Cinder slashed at him and this time he wasn't able to dodge the attack fully, taking a hit to his aura. Jaune went wide eyed.

How could she hit him? She could barely lay a hand on him the last time they had fought. He ducked under a kick delivered by Mercury, whom he then hit in the crotch with his cane. Mercury wailed in pain and fell on his face, and was promptly shot at by Jaune, who was also trying to deal with Emerald and the same time. His mind was not all on the battle, however, as some of his focus had shifted to his de facto teacher, who was currently trying to keep himself from collapsing. He was exhausted, and Jaune could tell. He looked at Cinder, who was currently holding that strange amulet in front of her, pointing it at Quinton. Emerald swung her twin kusarigama revolver blades while firing them at the same time, which prompted Jaune to deflect the oncoming barrage of projectiles with his cane and move away from the agile assassin. He needed breathing room to formulate a plan to help Quinton. But then he realized how dumb he was.

"Oh yeah, I can just shoot the dang thing." Jaune said under his breath, mentally punching himself for not thinking of something so simple. Jaune kicks Emerald in the gut, sending her flying into Mercury, who had just recovered from the beating his meat had just gotten, causing them both to fall down into a tangle of limbs. They quickly recovered however, shooting each other glares before focusing their attention back on their target, only to find him aiming his cane at them. The tip of it began to glow a dark purple before firing an ear-piercing round out at unimaginable speeds. Mercury and Emerald yelped as a massive bullet streaked between them, the force of the projectile being so great that the two could feel a slight wind as it flew by. Mercury looked at Jaune, and began to laugh. Emerald snickers before readying to fight once again.

"HA! You missed, dipshit!" Jaune simply raised an eyebrow.

"Did I?"

Hearing the tell-tale signs of a high-power weapon firing off, Quinton instinctively crouches, the high caliber bullet from his creation flying over his head as it ripped through the air, finding its mark, dead center in the middle of the amulet. A bright pink light erupted from the object as it shattered, followed by a massive explosion that engulfed the entire alleyway.

 **{-}**

"What do we have here, old buddy? Someone who ended up messing with nefarious individuals? Or someone who bit off more than they could chew from a Grimm sandwich?" Jonathan asked Garrold, a strange mirth in his voice. The rugged man stared at his partner in crime, an eyebrow raised at his tone.

"Judging by vounds, this man was obviously murdered. By whom I do not know." He replied, staring at the mangled body before him. He tried not to pay any mind to the corpse, as the ribcage was exposed, showing off the soft, pink flesh beneath them. Various stab wounds decorated the internal organs, as well as claw marks, meaning that the unfortunate bastard was torn apart by a faunus. The fact that the body was ripped open in the way it was however, painted a rather worrying picture.

"This is the handiwork of a group we know, my dear friend. Which one it is fails to come to mind, however. I could have sworn I knew the name... but the results here are dead-on. The missing finger, missing teeth, fishbone on the left ear, and the gruesome visage of a desecrated corpse." Jonathan crouched down and stared at the scene. He placed a finger within the fleshy insides of the body. "Still warm, as I suspected." He murmurs. He didn't need the cards for this one, the picture was already painted within his mind, and all the pieces were arranged neatly on the chessboard. The cards were already in place from the start.

Well. Except one. The people who did this. Who were they? The cat faunus scratched his right ear, his mind running through old memories of murders that were similar to this one. Whoever did this wasn't being sloppy by how they left the body out in the open behind the cabin, they did it intentionally. They wanted it to be seen, but not before the finger and the blood were seen. It was a scare tactic, and considering how the cabin was already unlocked, the suspects either left it unlocked on purpose, or someone else came and unlocked the door, looking for the victim. If that was the case, however, the person would have no doubt called the authorities. The bodies were still warm however... and the blood hadn't started to completely darken... which meant that—this wasn't good.

"Garrold. We need to leave. The authorities are on their way. I doubt we would want to get caught in the crossfire of whatever this is. We should tell Quinton that this associate has bitten the edge of a blade and that we need to locate someone else for now." Jonathan walked past Garrold in a hurry, the man in question following behind closely. They both entered their vehicle, which was parked haphazardly in the front of the cabin. Garrold made a mental note to hide their only getaway option better.

Garrold adjusted his golfer's hat, reaching into the breast pocket of his heavy leather jacket and grabbing the keys to the car. He turns to Jonathan for a second, observing the strange feline, who played with his cards, taking particular interest in the Jack card. Garrold sighed and started the vehicle, pulling out from the front of the shack and taking an alternate path away from it to get to the main roads, just in case Jonathan's hypothesis was correct. Lo' and behold, he was. Through the trees, Garrold spotted police cruisers zooming towards the area they had just fled from.

Jonathan had an eerie ability to predict things like this. Usually its small things, like guessing next week's weather. But sometimes it's very personal and close-to-happening events. Garrold chose not to question it, as Jonathan was closely related to Quinton, by blood or by childhood association. The two are very similar in terms of looks, so if they were brothers, he wouldn't be surprised in the slightest.

Still, the two were very... unusual.

A ringtone brought Garrold out of his quiet moment. He narrowed his eyes in annoyance.

"Can you answer that thing!? Your ringtone makes ears bleed!" Garrold yelled, causing Jonathan to yelp and drop his cards. He shot a weird look towards Garrold before reaching for his scroll and looking at the number that appeared on it.

"It's Jaune. You think anything went wrong with the dynamic duo? I sure hope not."

"Quinton is untouchable, I am sure he is doing fine, along with the Arc. He has some skill." Garrold says simply.

Jonathan nods and answers the call. "How's it goin' buddy? You and that stuffy old cat work some deals over?"

"N-no, things went south! Get over here quick, Quinton is... god he's fucked right now! I don't have much time my scroll's about to die but if you can trace this call and find—" The call cuts off. Jonathan stares at the scroll, speechless. He turns to Garrold, a hardened look on his face. Garrold didn't like that look. Jonathan was never serious; he always had a jovial disposition, rarely ever being anything but happy. Something serious was going on, and Garrold didn't like the implications of how his partner was acting.

"Vhat happened?" He questioned.

"Quinton needs our help."

Garrold nods, slamming his foot on the gas pedal, silently counting the seconds passing in his head as the car flew down the dirt path.


End file.
